


Mr. Perfect and the Virgin

by bickazer



Category: Original Work
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Aphrodisiacs, Castration, Consensual bondage, Consent Issues, Crossdressing, Drugs, Dubious Consent, Enemas, Fantasy, Fictional Religion & Theology, Forced Submission, From Sex to Love, Gang Rape, Healing Sex, Humiliation, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic School, Magic-Users, Mentions of self-harm, Monster sex, Multiple Partners, Non-Consensual Bondage, Oral, Orgasm Denial, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possessiveness, Power Imbalance, Psychological Trauma, Rival Relationship, Sex Toys, Sexual Abuse, Spanking, Temperature Play, Tentacles, Underage Drinking, Vines, sex pheromones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-07-26 21:21:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 29
Words: 123,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7590889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bickazer/pseuds/bickazer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the legendary Centarium, Devotees train to serve the Nine-Armed Angel. Hal is the worst student at the Centarium. Vada is the best. When a punishment assignment forces them together, sparks fly and Hal discovers Vada's darkest, most intimate secret. Now like it or not, the two are tied together. Will they ever learn to survive each other, let alone all the outside forces arrayed against them? And does Hal truly have any idea what he's walked into?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story I've already posted to my fictionpress account, where I'm also called bickazer. However, I've decided to post it here as well. It's my attempt at a truly depraved, filthy, and smutty slash story, full of kinkiness and metric boatloads of angst.
> 
> If that sounds interesting to you, read on ahead!

Hallert Thorner sighed as he stared out at the vast expanse of the campus. From his position on Ryger, the tallest of the floating platforms, he could make out the great star-metal statue of the Nine-Armed Angel, Ghestruel, who formed the main body of the campus. The platforms were balanced upon the Angel's great arms, and rose and fell depending on which ones held the greatest prominence and honors at the moment.

Right now Ryger was at the top, no thanks to any of Hal's efforts, of course.

In his tower, Hal could see past Ghestruel, at the thin snake of a river below and the green swoops and folds of valleys and fields. He couldn't make out details, though; they were too high up. If not for the miraculous fields around the platforms, they'd be trembling all the time and barely able to breathe the thin air.

Hal leaned out of the window, staring miserably at the gleaming white buildings and arches of Ryger. With space at a premium, dorms and classrooms were built on top of each other, stacked in intricate formations that seemed like they might blow clean over if nudged the slightest way. But they wouldn't be. They were built from the highest powers of the Architecturalists, representatives of the Sixth Arm of the Nine-Armed One.

What a beautiful sight. Before his arrival at the Ghestruel Centarium, he would never have understood how to navigate a world in three dimensions. His life had been the vast, unending flatness of the plains, interrupted only by the occasional trees and by the tents of his clan...

Hal fingered the two narrow braids hanging by his right ear, each woven with bands of beaten gold that announced him as an adult of the Rusaida people. Not that it meant anything here in the Centarium.

The door slammed opened. Hal groaned and buried his fists into his russet-red hair. This did not stop the two most unwelcome intruders from advancing.

"Hal, Hal, of course I'd find you here," said Cinda Spokes, who today had dyed her hair bright green and wore flashing pink stars inside the pupils of her eyes. One of her Three Arms was that of the Fashioners, and she wore their magenta ribbon with pride on her black school jacket.

"You're always sulking up in this old tower," observed Rodmont Tresthi, who was so tall his head nearly brushed the ceiling. As a Crinari, he was long and skinny like he'd been stretched on a rack, with scaly gray skin and a forked tongue. "Why? There is absolutely nothing of any value in it." Clicking his tongue, he kicked up one of the many beaten-up armor pieces on the floor and flicked it around in his hand.

One of Rodmont's Three Arms was the Architecturalists, with a specification in armor production. Not that Hal cared. He hated how well his friends embodied the Arms they had given their lives in service to. If only he could be like them...

And here he was descending into self-pity again.

"What's the matter, Hal?" Cinda came up by Hal's side, wafting her sweet watermelon perfume into Hal's nose. It stabbed a wave of homesickness through Hal, as he remembered the market days, the cut pink insides of the green fruits on display.

"It couldn't be the exam results?" Rodmont suggested, in his flat, tactless way.

"Arrrgh!" Hal threw up his arms, conceding defeat before his friends. "Yeah, that's exactly it!"

"Who cares?" Cinda said. "It's just a test."

"You'd say that, yeah, since _you_ didn't get the absolute worst scores any student in this school has ever gotten in its entire history!" Hal's face wrinkled more and more as he spoke, and he could tell because Rodmont whipped out his hand mirror, a tool that belonged to the Contemplatist Arm, and held it before Hal's face.

"I see, I see." Rodmont sounded far too chipper. "You're bothered by what Vada Imilai said."

"Fuck that jerk!" Hal said heartily. "Look at him, Mr. Perfect, swaggering around with that nancy cape of his, thinking he's all that - "

"He is the best Devotee the Centarium has seen in centuries," remarked Cinda lightly.

"Doesn't give him the right to be such a total and complete asshole about it!"

The more Hal spoke, the more memories tumbled through his mind - memories he'd been wanting to avoid. That he'd been running from, which was why he'd gone up to this old tower to surround himself in old armor and pretty views. But it was useless, all useless, for the festering wound burst right open, and he was dragged back to this morning...

* * *

The scores for the last all-Centarium exam had been posted. On Ryger, they were unrolled in a great banner over the top of the statue of the Nine-Armed One in the central square.

Hal hadn't particularly cared about his score. He barely remembered the exam, in fact, aside from the fact that he hadn't known how to answer half the questions in the paper portion so he'd left vast sweeps of it blank. And he'd failed to activate his armor for over five minutes during the practical section. But still, he figured he did so-so as he usually did.

No, it was Rodmont dragging him along, wheezing in panic over his Contemplatist score. Rodmont had switched one of his Arms to the Contemplatists but a month ago, and was now throwing a fit about whether he'd made the right decision. Hal, for his part, could not see how practical-minded Rodmont could ever fit in with those airy-headed mystics.

So Rodmont squeezed Hal's arm, rather painfully, forcing their way through the thicket of black jackets. Hal was so bored he yawned.

He scanned the banner for his name, since he had nothing better to do. The banner was truly massive, for it held the names of all the Devotees in the entire Centarium, from the tiniest first-year to the oldest ninth-year. It took a long, long while of scanning before Hal found his name.

 _HALLERT THORNER,_ in big, bold black letters...right at the bottom right of the banner.

Hal blinked. That couldn't be correct. He scanned below his name but there was nothing; the banner ended right beneath it.

"Oh, yes! Oh!" With a dramatic sigh of relief, Rodmont drapped his arms over Hal's shoulders. "I did it, I made the top third, that's the best I could ask for - where are you, Hal?"

Hal pointed. Rodmont stared.

His green eyes grew very, very wide.

"Hal, you're in the very bottom!" he said in an urgent whisper. It was not quiet enough, however. Heads nearby began to turn. Whispers fluttered about, growing into a sound very much like the buzzing of bees.

Hal groaned. "You idiot, why'd you have to go and _advertise_ it?"

"The worst, the worst, the worst," the whispers droned. "It's Thorner, Thorner is the worst..."

"No, I'm not!" Hal yelled, very loudly, which was the exact wrong thing to say in this situation, for the incontrovertible facts were sitting right before him.

The whispers transformed into raucous laughter.

"Thorner! Thorner, how'd you do it? What's your secret?" Oozing oily smarm, Gavidio Damascanara sidled up next to Hal. He must be wearing a wind-blowing miracle, for his golden hair was streaming behind his back despite the air being completely still. And maybe a flash miracle, because it couldn't naturally be that bright, even if he was an elf.

Hal glared at Gavidio, which just made him laugh harder. Gavidio, who was one of the more popular seventh-years, also had a large swarm of followers who'd do whatever he did. So their laughter picked up, and soon the entire crowd was laughing at poor Hallert Thorner.

"Look at that. He got a 1! A 1 out of 100 points!" For the first time, Hal noticed the number next to his name.

The name above him had gotten a 10.

Heat seared in Hal's face. His hands began to shake. What - what - what _was_ this? He couldn't have done _that_ poorly, could he have? He vaguely remembered he hadn't slept well the day of the exam. He might have grumbled and complained to the proctors. Maybe he'd taken longer than five minutes to activate his armor. Maybe he'd been unable to answer more questions than he'd thought.

No, no, no, _no!_

Hal was seeing his future crumble before him.

It was ridiculous, but he had always harbored the dream of being the Chosen One. Only one Devotee was chosen in times of great crisis to be the hero of All the Nations Under the Angel's Arms. Hal had grown up listening to stories of the greatest of the Chosen Ones, Nassat. Nassat had been a Rusaida Clansman, just like Hal. He'd had the red hair and the loamy skin. Hal had stared at the pictures of him in books, and imagined himself in Nassat's place.

Instead, he was the absolute worst Devotee at the Centarium.

"What's going on here?" The sharp, imperious voice silenced the tide of uproarious laughter that had flooded the square. Hal jumped. He and Rodmont turned.

And Hal suppressed a groan. There was Vada Imilai in all his glory. Vada Imilai, whose name was at the very top with a score of 110 points, of course, even though the exam had only been for 100 points. But he must have wowed the proctors enough into awarding him extra points. Vada, the legend, Vada who was the greatest Enforcer the Centarium had ever seen, who had earned a personalized sword and armor even before graduating.

He certainly _looked_ the part, tall and thin as a blade, and to his black uniform had added intricately embroidered white, gold, and red designs, each representing one of his Three Arms. To say nothing of that _stupid-ass_ white cape billowing after him with every step. Hal glared at the sword at Vada's waist, the armored pauldrons around his shoulders and the gauntlets around his wrists. No need to be such a damn show-off!

As Vada Imilai strode throught, the crowd of Devotees parted to allow him in. Now there was nothing blocking him from Hal.

Hal sweated. He began to back off, but then stopped. Like he was going to capitulate before Mr. Perfect.

 _Mr. Perfect who everyone is saying is the next Chosen One,_ Hal thought gloomily, and looking at Vada, he certainly thought that could very well be the case.

Soon Vada was within a few steps of Hal. He glared down at Hal, and Hal felt tiny indeed. Vada's face was stupidly handsome, of course, with fine, sharply angled features, and gold eyes and pointed ears that indicated some form of elf heritage. He'd styled his hair in a ridiculous mess of slicked-back black spikes, which rather made him look like a hedgehog. In Hal's opinion.

"You are Devotee Hallert Thorner?" Vada asked. His voice was surprisingly quiet, a silky whisper that raised the hairs on the back of Hal's neck. Not that he was intimidated.

"Yeah," Hal said. In contrast, his voice blared way too loud. "That's me."

"The same Devotee Hallert Thorner whose name is on that sign?" Vada indicated the Angel-forsaken banner. "Who scored one point out of a hundred?"

Giggles broke out again, silenced by a ferocious glower from Vada.

"Yeah, yeah, what's it to you," Hal ground out.

"You are aware, Thorner, that no Devotee has _ever_ scored as low as you have at an all-Centarium exam?"

No, Hal was in fact not aware of this particular fact. It spread a hot, tingling embarrassment through his entire body. He felt like a monster felled by a holy sword. Such as the sword by Vada's side right now. Except Vada hadn't needed to take it out of its sheath to slay Hal.

This time, the giggles were more like snickers. And Vada didn't bother silencing them.

"Your performance," Vada said, glaring at Hal through narrowed eyes, "shames not just you, but the entire Centarium."

"I - look, I was tired - " Hal babbled, which was just making this worse, but he couldn't stop wanting to defend himself.

"And now here you are spewing _excuses._ I am ashamed to share my Three Arms with you." Vada's glare intensified.

Like Vada, Hal was an Enforcer, Tamer, and Miraclist. The same Three Arms that Nassat had devoted himself to.

"Who cares? It has nothing to do with you," Hal managed to squeak out. It was better to act defiant than to break down crying.

"On the contrary, it has everything. I have sworn an oath to uphold the honor of the Centarium - as have you. I will not tolerate _any_ insults to the Centarium's honor. Is that understood, Thorner?"

Vada jabbed his finger into Hal's chest. It was very cold. Hal nodded mutely.

"You will attend extra lessons every day from after classes until curfew. And you will do so until you can score in such a way that does _not_ completely shame the efforts of all your teachers!"

"'Scuse me, where'd you get the authority for that?"

"I'm a Devotee-in-Command, you fool," Vada said, flicking his stupid cape. It swirled around him in what he probably thought was a dramatic effect. "I can give orders to foolish little miscreants such as yourself."

 _I,_ Hal thought, _have never wanted to punch somebody more._

Except he doubted he'd be able to get off even one blow before Vada whipped out that sword and kicked Hal's ass for the benefit of the entire Ryger Platform. Which Hal wasn't keen on seeing happening. So he remained still, burning in embarrassment, sweat streaming hot trails down his skin.

"Study hard, Thorner. You will need it," Vada said.

With that, he spun around - more cape-twirling - and began marching away. Instantly he was mobbed by a small crowd, mostly of girls, squealing his name and screeching about how cool he was.

"Uh, Hal?" Rodmont's voice was tiny. "Hal, are you..."

Hal turned toward Rodmont with a huge, grotesque grin on his face. "Never. Been. _Better."_

* * *

So here Hal was now, sulking instead of attending his remedial study sessions. Which Rodmont wasted no time reminding Hal of.

"You know, instead of hanging up here with all this old junk, you could actually be studying," Rodmont said in a tone he probably thought was diplomatic. "You could be striving to improve yourself."

"What happened, did you turn into one of Imilai's fans?" Hal groused.

"Rodmont's just being logical," said Cinda, "and you know it. Come on, idiot."

Just then, Hal saw the last person he ever wanted to see.

He was marching across a bridge connecting two buildings, his dumb-as-shit white cape swirling behind him, and as always followed by a small army of admirers. And he was heading straight for Hal's tower.

"Shit!" Hal swung away from the window and flung his eyes around the small, narrow room. Most of it was taken up by piles of rusty armor. "Shit, somebody hide me."

"Hal, why don't you study?" Cinda harangued.

"It's what makes the most sense," Rodmont harangued.

"So you aren't going to hide me?" Hal turned toward his friends with beseeching eyes. "Come on, guys. I really thought we had something special."

"For fuck's sake," Rodmont said.

Whatever, Hal didn't need those turncoats. He dove for the armor. He was in the process of shoving a big, unwieldy helmet onto his head when the door flung open with a bang, and Vada Imilai came marching inside.

"Shit," Hal said. His voice echoed inside the helmet.

Vada whipped out his sword, Dark Star. He swung it. A slice of black energy, sprinkled with stars like the night sky, flew from the blade and slashed the helmet in half. The two pieces clunked by Hal's sides.

"Uh," Hal said.

Vada glared down at Hal. His face was chalky with fury.

"So this is where you've been hiding, Thorner."

"Why do you _care_ so much? Do you usually put this much effort in chasing down some random seventh-year? Don't you have club activities and shit?"

Vada drove his sword into the floor, making Cinda and Rodmont jump. And...maybe Hal, just a little bit.

"I _care,_ " Vada seethed through his teeth, "because I devote myself to nothing more than the Centarium and the Will of the Nine-Armed One. Both of which you are staining with your incalculably filthy, lazy presence!"

"Shit, man, calm down," Hal said, which was probably the worst possible thing he could have said.

Vada swung his sword. Cinda and Rodmont gasped.

But Hal was already ready. He grabbed a random sword from the pile of rusty armor and brought it up to meet Dark Star. The rusted blade shattered the instant it clashed with Dark Star, but it at least slowed the sword's descent.

And startled Vada; his golden eyes widened. Hal smirked winningly up at him.

So what if it took him damn forever to manifest his own armor. He knew how to use a sword, to fire an arrow, to fight on horseback. He was a Rusaida Clansman.

Hal grabbed a shield from the mess next. This one still had a bit of its old miraculous energy to it, for it deflected the energy slice from Dark Star and send it slashing back at Vada. Vada lunged to the side, roaring in rage.

"Imilai, please stop," Cinda was crying. "He's not worth it."

That fucking _turncoat!_ But Hal didn't have time to worry about that, for Vada was swinging back toward him. Hal raised the shield again, but this time the energy slice gouged a deep cut across the shield's mirrored surface. Shit, it had only one of those miracles on it.

Well, Hal could still use the shield as long as it held up. He angled it above him and grabbed for another sword -

Just as he _froze._

He couldn't move a single muscle in his entire body. Not even to breathe. He was just numb all over, as if his body had turned into stone.

He couldn't even move his eyes. Through his frozen ears, he heard the muffled click of the door opening, then light footsteps.

Then a small man with a head of slate-gray hair reached the center of the room, his arms extended. He wore the pale gray robe of one whose Primary Arm was the Contemplatists.

Yes, the Contemplatists were airy mystics, but they also had access to vast and unknown powers. It was said they were the closest to the Nine-Armed One, second only to the Sublime Voice, of course.

Hal recognized this man in an instant; his illusion-craft teacher, Grand Hierophant Arun Pember. Pember glared at the frozen Hal first, then the frozen Vada, who'd been caught mid-lunge.

Pember looked deceptively young, thin and weak and small, but Hal knew he had lived for centuries. But he doubted than in all his centuries, Pember had ever gotten _this_ pissed.

Pember swept out his arms, sleeves billowing. Just like that, Hal was no longer frozen. He listed heavily to the side. clanking his body against the shield.

Vada fell to his knees, Dark Star sliding out of his hands. Pember gestured, and Dark Star slid on its own back into its sheath.

Vada hung his head. Even his spikes bent a little, as if just as ashamed as himself.

"My deepest apologies, Grand Hierophant. I - my behavior was most unbecoming of a Devotee-in-Command."

"It most certainly was," Pember said. "Imilai, I have never caught you fighting once in all your time at the Centarium. Thorner, on the other hand..." His deep, tunnel-like eyes swept over Hal, who shivered. "I almost expect this sort of delinquent behavior from him. I am deeply disappointed in the two of you."

Hal was so intimidated by Pember's presence that he couldn't enjoy the schadenfreude of seeing Vada Imilai getting chewed out. He suddenly wished he had attended the extra lessons instead of sulking in the tower.

"So, as much as I hate to do this, I must give you two a... _reminder_...so you never perform such a shameful act again," Pember said. He glared between the two of them. "Vada Imilai, Hallert Thorner, I am assigning the two of you detention - _together."_

Across Pember, Hal met Vada's eyes. For once, Vada wore the exact same expression that Hal did.

An expression of horror and certain doom.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this chapter to catch up with what's on my fictionpress. This is where things start to get sexy!

 

"Shit," Hal said when he was in his room. He couldn't believe the kind of misfortune his life had chosen to give him. "Shit, shit, shit, and _shit_."

"Please," squeaked Pency, "don't curse. It's a very bad habit."

"You're a bad habit," Hal grumbled.

Pency's small dark eyes welled with tears. Hal instantly felt terrible. He reached out and grabbed Pency, cuddling her close to his chest, whispering apologies.

Pency was a minor-dragon, whose name sounded far more badass than she actually looked. In reality, she was a pink ball with tiny wings that could barely keep her aloft, and four stubby, sticky little legs that she attached to Hal's shoulder now. Hal had befriended her in his Tamer classes.

Truthfully Hal hated animals, except for horses, but if he wanted to be like Nassat he had to make Taming one of his Three Arms. Except Nassat had ridden upon a giant flame-unicorn. Even Vada had a night-dragon, a much bigger and more badass specimen than poor little Pency.

But Hal would never let go of Pency for the world.

When Hal was sure Pency wouldn't start the waterworks, he stopped stroking her. She remained stubbornly attached to his shoulder. Like an overgrown boil, he'd once called her. She had cried for days. Even during class.

"I don't know what to do," Hal sighed. "Somehow I got stuck on detention duty with Vada Imilai. We're supposed to be looking for crap in the Armor Vault. The Armor Vault! What were they thinking? I'll be lucky to come out there alive!"

He shivered. There were all sorts of rumors about the Armor Vault located in the base levels of Ryger. Like how an entire graduating class had disappeared within its depths and had never been found again. Or how a small colony of monsters made their homes deep beneath the piles of old, abandoned armor.

Hal liked dealing with abandoned armor - sometimes he wondered if he'd have made a better Architecturalist than anything else - but even he wouldn't come within a twelve-foot radius of the Armor Vault. Until he'd been made to.

"That sadist Pember," he groaned. "I'm sure he just wants to murder us."

"Oh, oh, don't say that!" Pency beat her wings, slapping Hal on the cheek. "He's a teacher. He's just doing his best, trying to look out for you."

"Yeah, sure." Hal sighed and spread out on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. As a seventh-year, he had his own room, even though it wasn't very big. It was near the top of a tower, accessible by a spiral staircase outside the tower. It was quite isolated from the rest of his dorm, but Hal didn't mind.

He'd never really thought he belonged in the Centarium, anyway. The classes were too difficult. Armors didn't listen to him. His Tamer partner was freakin' Pency. It was nothing like his romantic childhood dreams.

Sometimes Hal wished he could go back to the plains of Rusaida, the simple joys of taking care of horses. Nothing was stopping him; Devotees could stop their training anytime they wished.

Nothing except a long-ago promise.

Sighing, Hal reached inside his jacket and rubbed the little brass locket pressed to his chest. Once, it had been engraved with the Rusaida seal, but all his years of rubbing it had smudged the seal into nothing. Fitting.

Everything disappeared in the end. Everything that had mattered to him. First his parents, then -

 _Oh, stuff it_ , Hal thought, sitting upright. He was disgusted with himself. When had he gotten so maudlin?

"I guess I don't have a choice," Hal said, smiling as he patted Pency. "I've got to do it. But I'm going to make sure I come out alive."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that," Pency said prissily.

"Aww, Pency, you're supposed to wish me luck."

"Of course I wish you luck!" Pency leaned forward and booped Hal on the nose with her tiny mouth. "That goes without saying."

Hal smiled. Now Pency, unlike those traitors Rodmont and Cinda, was a true friend. If he left the Centarium, he'd have to give her back to the menagerie. Maybe just one other reason why he was tied here.

* * *

Evening fell. While the others in his dorm were tucking in for the night, Hal climbed down the spiral staircase and headed for the Armor Vault.

He was prepared, unlike that time in the tower. He put on his armor, the chestpiece and shoulder pauldrons and gauntlets, and strapped his sword by his side. A few secret words would make the armor cover his entire body and grant him special abilities. In theory. In reality, Hal couldn't always get it to work.

Some Enforcer he made.

It was plain school armor at that, rust-red and battered and dented from centuries of use. Nothing like Vada's custom set.

Globe-fish floated about as Hal strode through the bridges and narrow streets of Ryger, casting spheres of ethereal greenish light. They were strange creatures that drifted through the skies. People harvested them for their light. Now they were secured by tethers to various positions around the platform.

The globe-fish grew fewer in number as Hal approached the Armor Vault. Hal swallowed. He wasn't afraid of the dark. How many nights had he slept beneath only the stars for company?

But it wasn't hard to feel like he was descending to the underworld as he went down more and more sets of stairs.

At last, he reached the entrance to the Armor Vault. It was surprisingly mundane, just a locked wooden door. Pember and Vada Imilai were already there.

"You're late, Thorner!" Vada barked.

"Now, now," Pember said, smiling mysteriously. "The two of you are supposed to get along. That's the whole point of this exercise. Now, these are the items I want you to find."

He pressed a scroll into Vada's hand, which sent a lash of annoyance through Hal; even now, he was obviously favoring Mr. Perfect. But Pember then handed a tethered globe-fish to Hal.

"Uh, why me?" Hal said.

"Each of you needs one hand free for your sword," Pember said in a tone like this should be obvious. "Besides, I've heard you have a good rapport with small creatures."

Hal hid a groan.

"Now, I wish you both the best of luck. If you're not out before morning, don't worry, I will send a search party," Pember said as he summoned a skeleton key from seemingly nowhere and slid it into the padlock.

"You're joking, right?" Hal squeaked. "Hey, is he joking?" he said to Vada.

"Shut up," Vada said through gritted teeth. "Let's get this over with."

He marched inside without a moment's hesitation. Hal personally wanted to run as far as possible, but no way was he going to look like a coward in front of Vada and a teacher. So he walked inside with his chin up and chest out.

The door slammed shut.

To Hal's surprise, he wasn't locked in complete darkness. The globe-fish cast its greenish light, but a soft glow also glimmered from the vast piles of armor rising up to the ceiling: lights from still-active miracles.

"Wow," Hal breathed. "How can they fit all this under Ryger?"

"We need to find a sword called White Snake," Vada said, brusque and business-like. "A bottle of blue forgetting potion. A jewel-lizard. A question-answering chalice. A pauldron that belongs to the armor collection Raging Waterfall. A miraculous scythe called Pouring Blood. A ring of hesitation."

"I like the sound of Pouring Blood," Hal said chipperly. "Let's go for it first."

Vada could not look more disgusted if Hal tried.

"Is this a _joke_ to you?" he hissed, bending down to glower into Hal's eyes. "Is it? Well, it's not to me. Thanks to you, I've gotten in trouble for the first damn time so I would like to finish this _quickly_. Understood?"

What did he expect Hal to do, salute and say, "Sir, yes, sir?" Because Hal wasn't going to. "Okay, so do you have a plan?"

Truthfully, Hal had no idea how they were going to find these specific items in the list. Aside from combing through each and every pile of armor, which would take an entire lifetime.

Hal already had no intention to spend even one night in here. Now if he could only figure out how to make this fast and easy.

"We're going for the sword first," Vada said. "White Snake was wrought by the same Architecturalist as Dark Star. Dark Star will recognize it."

Hal didn't like the idea of depending on Vada's fancy-pants sword, but he didn't have any other ideas. So he followed as Vada marched toward the stacks of armor, sword drawn.

The name Armor Vault, Hal started to understand, was something of a misnomer. In reality, there weren't just pieces of armors and weapons inside the piles; there were valuables of every kind. Hal swung up his globe-fish and saw a crystal diadem, strings of bronze coins, broken old picture frames, a chalice -

Hal grabbed the chalice and asked it, "How the hell am I going to get out of here?"

The chalice did not reply.

"What are you doing, Thorner?" Vada yelled over his shoulder. He had already ended up far ahead of Hal.

"I thought I might see if this was a question-answering chalice," Hal said.

"Well, it's not, so get going."

"Wait, maybe I didn't ask it a specific enough question...hmm, how many Arms does Great Ghestruel possess?"

A tinny answer floated out of the chalice's mouth, wavering as if it traveled a long distance. "Nine. They are Fashion, Recording, Beneficence, Taming, Enforcement, Architecture, Miracles, Contemplation, and the smallest but greatest of all, the Sublime Voice."

"Okay, thank you," Hal said quickly. He grabbed the chalice and ran toward Vada. "Yo! Imilai! I found it!"

"Found what? Dark Star's not responding to anything yet..."

Hal waved the chalice. "Question-answering chalice. In your face!"

Vada made a face like he'd swallowed something very sour. "Very well." Stiffly, he examined the list. The item 'question-answering chalice' had already burned away.

Hal stowed the chalice in the bag he had brought with him. His chest was thrumming with pride. Eat that, Mr. Perfect! He'd found the first item of the night.

They continued walking, stalking between the silent, towering stacks. Hal lifted his globe-fish, turning it back and forth with little tugs on the tether, casting its light high up on the stacks.

Something scampered away from the light. Hal's heart leaped into his throat. He swung the globe-fish toward the direction the thing had scampered. It scampered again, but this time Hal caught a flash of a sparkling green tail.

"Hey!" Hal said in an urgent whisper. "I think I saw a jewel-lizard."

"Did you now?" Vada looked skeptical. Hal didn't care. He began to scale the pile of armor, clambering over all sorts of sharp and pointy bits. It was uncomfortable, but he didn't mind. His heart pounded from the thrill of the chase. The hunt.

More swings of the globe-fish followed the trail of the jewel-lizard. It dove into a tiny gap between a set of grieves and a battle-axe. Hal was ready. He grabbed the battle-axe, pulled it off, and the jewel-lizard jumped out of its hiding place -

Hal swung the globe-fish directly into its face. The jewel-lizard let out a skittering noise - the closest it could get to a scream, with no vocal cords - and flopped onto its back, kicking its little legs ineffectually. Hal had blinded it.

Quickly Hal grabbed it by the tail and dragged it over. It was made of sparkling green emeralds, with topazes for its belly and seed-like rubies for its eyes.

And it had something in its mouth. No wonder it had emerged from its burrow; it'd been looking for something to chow in amidst all this armor.

Gripping the jewel-lizard tight, Hal struggled to yank the object free. Finally, he prized open the lizard's jaws enough, with a whispered apology. Then he lifted the object up to the globe-fish, surveying it.

It was a bottle, perfectly spherical, filled with a glowing magenta liquid. The liquid cast a strange, rippling light upon the armor around Hal. It was quite beautiful, and he wondered what it was for.

"Thorner! What are you doing? Come back here!" Vada's shout dragged Hal back to the present. Sighing, Hal tied the jewel-lizard's tail into a knot and dumped the unprotesting creature into his bag. He tied the bag shut, though, just to be sure. Then he jumped back down to the aisle where Vada was waiting.

"What is that? Scavenging random junk?" Vada was practically growling. He seemed especially pissed that Hal had already found two items and he and his precious sword had found none. "Put it back where it belongs, Thorner."

"I'm curious. Never seen a potion this color before. And it gives off its own light...it must be quite powerful." Hal turned it back and forth, admiring it in the glow of the globe-fish.

"I said, put it down. We didn't come here for magenta potions." Vada swiped at it.

Hal jerked his arm away, and Vada's hand hit Hal's wrist. The bottle spilled out of Hal's hand, slid down Vada's arm, and hit Vada's chest. And shattered.

"Shit. Oops," Hal said as the magenta liquid dripped down the front of Vada's intricately-embroidered jacket, forming a bright stain.

"Damn you, Thorner," Vada hissed.

"Sorry! You shouldn't have tried to grab it. I'd have put it back, okay?"

"Shut up! Let's just get back to work." Still visibly seething, Vada whirled around, that dumb cape of his spinning with him.

Then, he froze.

"Huh?" Hal said. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Vada said, but his voice was curiously strained. "Let's keep going." He lifted Dark Star, its black blade velvety against the gold-tinged dimness in the Armor Vault.

Hal followed Vada, but Mr. Perfect had slowed down significantly; each step seemed to be costing him a little more effort. When he suddenly doubled over, Hal ran up to his side, though he didn't touch Vada.

Vada glared at Hal. His face was bright red, to Hal's shock. He'd almost allowed himself to believe that no blood flowed beneath Vada's skin at all. Skin that was slick with sweat now, plastering his loose bangs to his forehead.

"Imilai, is something wrong? What, you tired already?" Hal said.

"I am _not_ ," Vada hissed. "Just - just give me a moment." He sucked in a deep breath, but then his voice escaped in a low, soft series of pants.

This seemed to enrage him, for he started walking again, more stiffly this time. He dripped a trail of magenta liquid with each step. Which Hal started to wonder was such a good idea, considering what might be living amidst all this armor. He didn't want it to have a way to track them.

He ran up to Vada's side, about to remind him, when Vada whirled and swiped out at him. Only some timely ducking saved Hal from being hit in the face.

"Whoa, whoa man, what's your problem?"

"Don't come near me!" Vada shouted.

"Sorry, I just wanted to tell you - whoa!"

For Vada fell to his knees, as if his legs were giving out from beneath him, and his sword spilled from his fingers. He clasped his hands together, digging his nails into the grooves between his knuckles, hissing through his teeth. The tendons of his neck strained, pushing up beneath the pale skin.

Okay, now Hal was getting seriously concerned. That pink liquid had done something to Vada, whatever it was. "Look, Imilai, I think you need to rest for a bit."

"Shut...shut up... _ahh_..." The gasp that escaped Vada's lips struck a curious part of Hal, sending heat curling in his belly.

What the hell, was he getting turned on by seeing Mr. Perfect in a terrible state? It had been way too long since he'd masturbated, he supposed.

Though, hold on...Vada's rhythmic panting, the trembling of his entire body, and...and lower...holy shit. That distinct tenting up of the fabric was unmistakable.

"Imilai," Hal said loudly. "Are you, uh, horny?"

Instantly Vada's face changed from beet-red to chalk-white. He lurched backward, then swept his cape in front to cover himself. "No! Absolutely not!" he shouted. "How dare you!"

"Is that a, uh, sex potion or something? I didn't know something like that existed."

"It's n-not...not...nn... _ohh_..." Vada sucked in a deep breath. "It's not, like - "

And then the strangest thing of all happened.

Vada bowed his head, pressed his fingers into his sweat-soaked hair. As he did, purple markings spiraled across his skin. Intricate, looping, strangely sensuous markings that struck a chord of familiarity in Hal.

Hal had learned about the kind of creatures who bore these markings, in a class that he remembered because all his classmates had giggled and snorted throughout the whole thing, despite the teacher's valiant efforts.

It was a class about incubi and succubi.

"Imilai." Hal stared down at Vada in wonder. "Are you...an incubus?"

"No," Vada said, low and desperate.

"But those markings, those are definitely incubus markings, and you're all, well, whatever that potion did - "

"How do you know?" Vada's voice was full of poison. "Mr. Worst Student - "

"Well, Mr. Perfect, I'm not a complete idiot."

Hal glared down at Vada. Vada lifted his head and glared up at Hal. But the markings were spiraling across his face now, and his visible skin was flushed deep red, and his eyes were glazed...

Hal felt a sharp twinge near a certain area of his pants. Oh, no. No way. He was not - not - turned on by Vada Motherfucking Imilai. The guy was only his biggest nemesis.

But the guy was also apparently an incubus, and incubi could emit pheromones to stoke the libidos of their victims. Yes, that must be what was happening...

But how the hell did an incubus get to be the top Devotee in the Centarium? Incubi and succubi were creatures of instinct, barely able to think, and besides they belonged to the demonic nations that repudiated the Nine-Armed One's Infinite Wisdom and Succor. They were _enemies_.

Yet Vada was one?

Hal's head spun.

"Thorner, I'll be fine, just - just give me a moment, ah, _please_ \- "

Holy shit. Vada was _begging_ him. His voice so ragged, the whisper even softer and lower than before. It tugged at a funny place in Hal's chest, and the twinge of heat grew stronger.

"Imilai." Carefully, Hal sank down to a crouch. "Maybe it's better if you take off your jacket. It's covered with that potion."

Vada shook his head madly, hair flapping.

"The potion's making you like this," Hal said, straining to keep his voice calm. "Don't you want to get rid of it?"

"It's - all - it's all your fault, Thorner, your fault," Vada gasped. Saliva was dripping from his lips. Surprisingly full lips, now that Hal had a closer view. And - holy shit, were those tears welling in the corners of his eyes?

Excitement trembled inside Hal, painful and shameful. No, damn it! He couldn't believe himself. Getting turned on by Vada Imilai? Getting turned on when the person in question obviously needed help?

"Come on, Imilai," Hal said, keeping his voice soft and gentle, as if he was calming a spooked horse. "At least take your jacket off."

Vada made a low, strangled noise, almost a sob. Then his hands flew for the front of his jacket, and trembling, they undid the buttons. With a quick, fierce yank, he pulled the jacket off his shoulders. Beneath the jacket he was wearing a white shirt, so soaked with sweat that it was translucent, giving Hal a good view of the markings twining across his chest. To say nothing of the shape of his chest, all hard, muscled contours...

Hal shook his head to clear it. Damn pheromones!

"This is your fault, Thorner," Vada panted, groaned, gasped. "If you hadn't - if you hadn't taken that damn bottle - "

"Okay, it's my fault," Hal said, holding up his hands. "How do I make this right?"

Vada's hands moved, slowly unplucking the buttons of his shirt. Then he drew it open, revealing his bare torso to Hal.

"I need - I need to feed," Vada whispered, tossing his head back, his throat pulsing. "Thorner, since you're here - "

"Hold on." Realization crashed over Hal like an icy wave. "You want me...to have sex with you?"

"I don't _actually_ want it, damn you, I just have to - "

"Then I won't! I'm not going to fuck anyone who doesn't want me, let alone _you_!"

"So what? You want me to beg you? Is that it? You want - you want me to get on my knees and grovel? Because I _will_ , Thorner, I will - I need to, I _have_ to - "

Vada doubled over, groaning, his hands sliding down, down, down... They rested on his crotch and he jerked, before he lifted his hips and thrust into his own hand. Hal stared, transfixed, as Vada stroked and rubbed his clothed cock with a ferociousness that made Hal's pants grow quite tight.

"You, you seem to be handling it," Hal managed to squeak.

"Fucking idiot," Vada ground out. "I c-can't, I can't feed myself. Hurry!"

_No, I can't, I'm being influenced by the pheromones, I -_

But he had to help Vada, that much was clear. If he didn't, Vada might stay like this all night, and they'd never find the remainder of their list. They'd never be able to leave the Armor Vault.

Slowly, as if in a dream, Hal wandered over to Vada, closing the distance between them. This close, Mr. Perfect's scent beat against his face, hot and thick and syrupy sweet. Like plums, but with the faintest dash of something bitter beneath it. Hal's pants grew even tighter.

"Thorner." Vada moaned, long and low. Hal watched his trembling lips. They were now flushed a delightful soft pink.

Slowly, tentatively, Hal moved his hand. His fingers shook as he reached out and rested their tips on the middle of Vada's chest.

Vada's skin was so hot, so slick. Hal almost jerked his hand away. But Vada's reaction made him press harder; Mr. Perfect had thrown his head back, a strangled moan escaping his lips.

Hal began to stroke. He brushed around the contours of Vada's left pectoral, feeling the hard, firm muscles shift beneath his touch. Such hot skin. It intoxicated him.

"Mm, Thorner, here." Suddenly Vada grabbed Hal's wrist and shifted his hand upward. Hal's fingers encircled Vada's stiff nipple. Hold on - but he was already pinching, digging his nails into the sensitive, tender skin. This time Vada's shuddering groan made Hal gasp too.

His pants were so, so tight...without thinking he reached for his fly, undid it. His cock burst free, already bulging with veins.

Damn, when was the last time Hal had gotten hard so quickly? Normally he took a long time, something that was alternately a source of embarrassment and pride. Hal wrapped his free hand around his cock, while pinching and groping Vada's chest with his other hand, tracing the swirling lines of his incubus markings.

"Your mouth, Thorner." Vada leaned closer to Hal, brushing his lips against Hal's ear. Even that light, brief contact sent electrical sparks through Hal's entire body. Vada's scent, he was drowning in it - it was so delicious, how had he not _noticed_ it during their confrontation yesterday?

"Your mouth," Vada repeated, more insistent.

Heart slamming, Hal leaned forward for a kiss. Until Vada snatched the back of his neck and pressed his face against Vada's chest, where he could feel Vada's racing heartbeat.

"No kissing," Vada said roughly. "Here." He pushed Hal's head further down, until Hal's mouth slid over Vada's nipple. Feeling Vada tense and gasp, Hal figured he knew what to do. He used his tongue to massage the nipple, and was rewarded by an ever-rising series of moans.

Vada's hands were at Hal's chest, sliding downward, barely ghosting over the material of his jacket. Even so, Hal felt every touch, and it made him twitch in response. Then Vada's hands closed around his cock.

Hal jerked back, crying out in shock, but Vada was busy pumping him, tugging so hard it was like he was trying to yank Hal's cock off. And oh - oh, _Ghestruel_ , it felt divine. So much better than when Hal did it. Maybe he now knew why he always took so long. His technique was shit.

Vada moved his hands ever upward until they cupped the throbbing head. Then Vada bent down and - and - and replaced his hands with his mouth.

Nobody had ever given Hal a blowjob before. In fact, he was a virgin. A most sad and lamentable fact, considering that he knew that Cinda and Rodmont were friends with benefits but refused to let Hal share those benefits and why the fuck was Hal thinking about his dumb traitorous friends when Vada had his hot sweet mouth around Hal's cock, swallowing up ever more and more of it, and it was so, so hot, so wet, so tight, so beautiful -

"Mmnaaaaghh gonna, gonna," Hal blathered.

Vada slowly lifted himself from Hal's cock, leaving behind a trail of slick saliva, then _slurped_ at the precum dribbling from the tip. He looked up at Hal, wearing a familiar sneer. "Are you a virgin? Going to come just from this?"

"I, I, what if I am?" Hal squeaked.

"Sorry, virgin. I'm sure you'll find a girl who will love you." Vada blew a breath of air over the tip of Hal's cock. Hal groaned aloud as his cock stiffened further, almost pressed flat to his stomach.

Then Vada moved away, making Hal whine - he never wanted his cock to leave that wonderful talented mouth for as long as he lived. Then, to his utter shock, Vada was pulling down his own pants, revealing his own cock, somewhat smaller and thinner than Hal's but just as erect.

 _Ha, I'm more well-endowed than Mr. Perfect,_ Hal thought smugly, but all thought vanished when Vada turned around and got down on his knees.

He arched his back, lifting his ass, and what a well-sculpted ass it was, flushed bright red and covered with markings just like the rest of his bare skin - but that wasn't what captivated most of Hal's attention. No, it was the quivering hole, already dripping a clear liquid.

"Um, what's," Hal babbled.

"I don't need lubricant, just go in," Vada said, his voice somewhat muffled as he was burying his face in his arms. _"Hurry!"_

"You," Hal said, his mind struggling to catch up, "want me to - to _fuck_ you?"

"Yes, damn it! Unless you want to be stuck here all night, so hurry the fuck up and do it, virgin!"

Shit, Vada had found a new insult that hit much closer to home than 'Mr. Worst Student.' "I, I am a virgin," babbled Hal. "I d-don't know what to do..."

"Just thrust. Move your hips. I'll help you. Please, please, go in already!"

More begging. Again it reignited that fire inside Hal, making his cock jump and twitch. He swallowed, then moved forward, bathing himself in Vada's thick rich scent again.

He was intoxicated, he was going crazy, this was all an insane dream - but even as these thoughts surged for his head, he reached out and gripped Vada's hips. And moved forward.

His cock brushed the cleft of Vada's ass, making Vada tense and cry out. Swallowing, Hal moved a hand from Vada's hip to grab his cock and guide it into position. The tip poked the hole, and Hal gasped at the sensation of it sinking in, just a little.

"Mmmmm, _ohh_." Vada tilted his head back, unleashing his longest moan yet. Hal felt the muscles around his cock tighten slightly, drawing him deeper in.

Emboldened, Hal pushed his way inside. Vada moved his hips, pushing back.

And - and Hal was completely enclosed, surrounded by Vada's tight heat. If Vada's mouth had been miraculous, this was, this was a hundred times better. He could feel Vada's muscles pulsing and tightening around his cock, sucking it in, and as he thrust forward he felt Vada's insides opening up around him.

The feeling drove him insane. "Oh Great Nine-Arms, this is just, this is, oh," Hal blathered and blasphemed.

"Start...," Vada hissed into his arms. "Start... _moving_..."

Hal didn't need another reminder. He dug his fingers deep into Vada's hips, sinking into the soft skin, and pulled out slowly. His entire body ached as the tight heat loosened, as his cock was exposed to the chilly air again, so he didn't waste any time pushing his way back in. Vada's back arched. He cried out, high and thin.

Soon Hal found a rhythm, thrusting with fierce strokes, while Vada matched the rhythm with his hips, drawing Hal deeper in. The slap of skin on skin echoed off the towers of discarded armor. They didn't speak anymore, just grunted and groaned and panted.

Vada's voice was crying higher and sharper, his pants coming faster, and Hal felt himself draw closer and closer to a precipice. Hal squeezed his eyes shut, dug his fingers in.

Then his orgasm hit him, half a dozen violent trembling waves that scraped and scoured his insides and left nothing behind. He shook and groaned, and Vada clamped down tighter than ever before around him, wringing every last drop of burning liquid from his cock, and he heard an answering gush of liquid from Vada, felt an answering tremble and sigh.

Hal's fingers slid away from Vada's hips. His cock was still engulfed in Vada's heat, and surrounded in hot cum as well, but he felt too tired, too drained, to get it up again. Slowly, he pulled it out, watching in fascination as cum dribbled out Vada's thoroughly stretched hole and onto his pale, twitching thighs.

"Stupid virgin," Vada said, his voice still muffled. "Barely lasted."

"You...you came too, right?" Hal said.

"You still could have done better. Oh, what do I expect from a failure like you?" Vada rolled over, landing on his back. His limp cock flopped. He looked drained, his skin ashen, and the markings were fading. All the gel had long been sweated out of his hair, which was now scattered in a loose halo around his head. He rather looked better like that.

As Hal and Vada's breathing returned to normal, the first sick stirrings of shame began to squeeze Hal's insides. He had just...he had just fucked the top Devotee in the Centarium. Who was an incubus.

Hal felt like he might explode.

After a while, Vada hauled himself upright, then did his pants, shirt, and jacket up again. He brushed at the front of the jacket, looking annoyed. A twinge of alarm ran through Hal.

"Wait," Hal said. "Isn't the potion still on there?"

"I don't feel...not anymore. You fed me." Vada paused, then glared at Hal through his eyelashes. "Thank you."

It was the most poisonous thanks Hal had ever received, but it made a smile twitch up his lips. At least he had helped, in some incredibly bizarre way.

"Let's never speak of this again, Thorner." With a single neat motion, Vada stood up, then picked up Dark Star where he had dropped it. "Come on. We still have to find the rest of these items."

Hal couldn't believe Vada could so quickly go back to business. He'd just lost his virginity! Shouldn't he have the opportunity to dwell on the moment? Even though he kind of wanted to run as far away from it as possible.

Not to mention...

"Uh." Hal offered a weak grin. "Sorry, but, um, I kind of don't think I can move?"

"For _fuck's_ sake," Vada said.

 _You and me both_ , Hal thought.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, the next chapter is where the true depravities in this story begin. But I figure that's why you're reading.
> 
> Comment, leave kudos, and bookmark if you enjoy this! Any and all feedback makes my day!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the views and kudos so far! Here's an extra-depraved chapter for your enjoyment! Fair warning, it does feature a graphic gang rape scene, but I figure you're reading because you're as sick and twisted as me.

Somehow, by the time morning rolled around, Hal and Vada had found everything they needed. Even Pouring Blood, which wasn't nearly as cool as Hal had envisioned. Just a big old scythe with a rusted, snapped-in half blade.

Both of them studiously refused to mention what had gone on between them. They didn't speak except to communicate about their finds. Even so, Hal found himself watching Vada more carefully now. Noticing Vada's stark profile, the way his muscles tensed and flowed as he swung his sword, his slender, elegant build. His long eyelashes, his full lips.

Damn it all! How had Hal never noticed how attractive Mr. Perfect was until now?

They emerged as the sun was rising, and triumphantly, if wearily, gave their finds to Pember. Just as Pember left and Hal prepared to head back to his room for a nice, long day of sleeping, Vada gestured at him.

"Yeah?" Hal said, rubbing his eyes. "Look, I don't normally pull all-nighters, so - "

"Listen, Thorner," Vada said, his voice low and urgent. He kept glancing around, but there was no one else around the Armor Vault. Especially not at this hellacious hour. "Don't you dare tell anybody what happened down there."

"Oh." Hal rubbed harder, then swallowed a yawn. "'Course not."

"You wouldn't...not even your friends? I mean, I know you don't...care for me..." Vada trailed off, as if too embarrassed to continue. He turned his head to the side, a pale blush coloring his cheeks. A blush! Hal decided he liked seeing Vada like this.

"I mean, I know you must keep it secret for a reason," Hal said. "So I won't tell anyone, promise."

Vada looked a little put out by this. Presumably his opinion of Hal had been that low. "Understood, Thorner," he said. "You had better keep your end."

"No problem." Hal managed to flash a brief grin. "And, uh, thanks?"

Vada blinked. "For what?"

Helping to lose his virginity? Hal couldn't say. He wasn't sure if his brain was even working at this point. After he slept, he'd have plenty of time to think this through and decide what he really thought about having had sex with Vada Imilai, who was an incubus.

"Good night, I mean, morning." Hal waved, then turned and left. "But it's night for me since I'm gonna sleep for the rest of my life. Bye!"

"Thorner, wait - " But Hal was already gone.

* * *

It was early morning and all Vada Imilai wanted to do was sleep. Hallert Thorner certainly had the right idea in saying that he wanted to sleep for the rest of his life.

But Vada wasn't a failure like Thorner. He had places to be, obligations to keep.

So with heavy, reluctant steps, he climbed the steps away from the Armor Vault and headed to the very edge of Ryger Platform, where a transport medusid was already waiting for him. The medusid was a large, jellyfish-like bubble, about six feet in diameter, and beneath it swung a carriage that was open at the sides. Vada climbed into the carriage, and as he did he exited the miraculous field. Instantly the winds blew at his hair and cape, and the harsh, thin air made him cough.

Which made him furious. How could he show so much weakness at a time like this?

Vada settled into the carriage, tugged on the medusid's dangling tentacles and mumbled his destination, and the medusid set off, drifting its slow way down toward the statue of Ghestruel.

Normally Vada would pray, or at least try to, but now he didn't feel like it. He slumped in his seat, gazing ahead at nothing, trying not to think of Hallert Thorner and how Thorner had felt inside him.

That damned fool idiot virgin, how had Vada ended up revealing his deepest secret to someone like _that?_ All because - all because of the fury that Thorner had inspired in him, because Thorner had been given the great privilege of being a Devotee and did nothing with it...

_Well, he surely is talented at one thing,_ snickered a dark voice inside Vada. Vada wrapped his arms around himself, his fury growing.

The medusid came to stop at Ghestruel's left eye, which was so huge it towered at least three times higher than Vada. With a great clanking and grinding of hidden gears, the shut eyelid lifted, revealing a vast opening.

The medusid dropped off Vada at the dock outside the opening. A little distractedly, he patted its smooth bubble before walking on ahead, taking careful, precise steps onto the red-carpeted hall inside.

The eyelid clanged shut behind him, blocking the last of the early morning sunlight. But there was light in here, even brighter than the sunlight, emitting from the great crystal formations arrayed along the walls. These crystals had been infused with the miracle of light, a procedure that took some of the greatest power and control at a Architecturalist's disposal.

A curved oak desk marked the far end of the room, where the light was concentrated the brightest. Three figures were arrayed behind it, as well as one that Vada did not recognize.

The one at the center was a tall old man, an elf with pointed ears and a magnificently flowing white beard. Lord Superior Hierophant Avaclus Dei, the supreme leader of the Centarium.

Vada sank to one knee, sweeping his cape behind him. "Lord Superior Hierophant, Devotee-in-Command Vada Imilai reporting."

He _heard_ the indulgent smile in the Lord Superior Hierophant's voice. "Vada, my dear boy. Please stand."

Vada hid a frown. This was far more informal than a Lord Superior Hierophant should be. But the Lord Superior Hierophant had never viewed Vada as a normal student.

So Vada obeyed. He still kept his eyes downcast, as was polite. Or maybe he just didn't want to see their faces. Tiny Grand Hierophant Arun Pember. Grand Hierophant Mycal Shell, a hulking man who oversaw the Taming classes. And the man who Vada didn't recognize, who with a start Vada saw wore a sober charcoal gray business suit, and a pair of glasses on his pinched nose.

"Dear Vada, I would like to introduce you to someone," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, indicating the man. "This is my good friend Peter Rolston. He is the President of Infirma Banking Group."

"I have heard of your great service in the Centarium of Ghestruel," Peter Rolston said in a nasally voice. "Your talent has not escaped my notice."

"I thank you for your consideration, Lord Superior Hierophant," Vada mumbled to the floor, sweat pricking his skin. "But I do not have plans to work in the civilian sector after graduation. I intend to continue my service to Ghestruel."

"I'm well aware of that, my boy, but it's always good to keep your options open, isn't it?"

"Yes, Lord Superior Hierophant," Vada said, but privately he was thinking that this Peter Rolston was simply curious about him, and the Lord Superior Hierophant had invited Rolston to take a sample.

"Now come closer, my boy."

Vada obeyed. He had no choice. This man was the Lord Superior Hierophant, the _god_ of Vada's world.

No - his god was the Nine-Armed One. Except he'd never heard Ghestruel's voice in his entire life, and Ghestruel had never come to save him. Why would They? Vada was the lowest of the low, a life form that should not exist in this perfect world..

"Hmm." The frown in the Lord Superior Hierophant's voice made Vada pause. "What happened to your jacket, my boy?"

His jacket? _Oh, shit._ It was still stained with that pink liquid. That...aphrodisiac potion, whatever the hell it had been. Unbidden, memories flashed in Vada's mind, of panting and moaning beneath Hallert Thorner's touch -

Heat flared in Vada's cheeks.

"My, he's blushing," said Rolston. "How adorable."

The Lord Superior Hierophant chuckled. "Remove your clothing, dear Vada."

Vada's hands moved automatically. He had gotten used to this procedure, after performing it every day for the past three years. His armor fell off first, then Dark Star. Without them, he felt naked, vulnerable. But he wasn't naked yet. With a few more practiced motions, the rest of his clothes fell to the wayside as well.

There was none of that desperate, insane need that had driven him during his sex with Thorner. Just a cold shame coiling in his stomach, as the cool air of the office played across his skin, raising goosebumps, stiffening his nipples, sending a jolt through his cock.

He blushed harder. Why, he had no idea. Everyone here had already seen him through every sort of depredation a living being could undergo, aside from Rolston, and Rolston was obviously a man with no shame.

Step by delicate step, he approached the desk. Sometimes he fantasized that he'd walk and walk and it would never come any closer. But soon he was right in front of it, close enough to smell the Lord Superior Hierophant's leathery scent. By now, his markings had begun to appear across his skin.

"Oh." Rolston's eyes rounded. "He does have markings! How fascinating. So they only appear when he is sexually excited?"

"One of the many fascinating aspects of his half-breed physiology," rumbled Hierophant Mycal Shell.

"On the desk. Turn around slowly, show Mr. Rolston every angle," Lord Superior Hierophant said, reaching out and patting Vada's side. Vada forced himself to blush harder, even though all he wanted was to tear away from the Lord Superior Hierophant and throw himself out the entrance.

But in spite of everything, he still wanted to live. He still wanted to hope. That one day he'd be a _proper_ Devotee, a servant who Ghestruel really needed...

Even if that day seemed far off indeed. Biting back his disgust, Vada climbed onto the desk. He got down on his hands and knees, just like he had done for Thorner. Except different now, with the eyes of four old men ogling him.

Three of them had seen this so many times it must bore them by now, but he still went through the motions; arching his back, brushing his fingertips across his nipples, lifting his hips, stretching his entrance for Rolston to see. Pretending to be the nymphomaniac incubus that he _wasn't,_ well, until that damned potion had gotten to him.

Soon, as expected, Rolston got tired of just looking. His hands slid over Vada's rear, stroking and pinching the skin, before moving down to his thighs, gripping them tight and spreading them apart. Then gliding over his balls, up the shaft of his cock. Vada clenched his teeth. Rolston's hands were hairy, a sickening sensation against his smooth skin.

"The markings just keep showing up," Rolston marveled.

"That's how you can tell he's getting turned on," said the Lord Superior Hierophant.

"Your hair is different today." This was Hierophant Shell. His thick, strong fingers played with Vada's loose, sweat-damp hair. "It's a nice look. Makes you look more vulnerable."

Which was why Vada hated keeping his hair down.

"Ah, it's because he's been quite a naughty boy lately." Hierophant Arun Pember spoke for the first time, bright and chipper. "Did you know, he got into a fight yesterday? With the Devotee who scored the lowest in the last all-Centarium exam, Hallert Thorner."

"A 1 out of 100, right?" mused the Lord Superior Hierophant. "We haven't seen a score like that in centuries. What a good boy you are, Vada, trying to uphold the Centarium's honor by confronting that failure."

Vada's face burned. What he hated, what he hated above all were how these men, Hierophants all, blessed by the Nine-Armed One Themself, took his own beliefs so lightly. But then, they probably didn't believe an incubus could ever truly be a Devotee, anyway.

_I'm only here because I'm their toy,_ he thought with the bitter taste of truth, as Rolston pumped away at his cock. He should never have let them find out what he really was. His mother was right, in the end...nobody would understand...

"Even so, there are better ways to uphold our honor." From the sound of it, Hierophant Pember was moving behind Vada. Vada lifted his hips higher, lowered his chest, knowing what the Hierophant wanted.

So it took him as a surprise when a sharp pain flared across his ass. Then again, and again, harder, from the opposite direction. Tears of humiliation stung Vada's eyes.

"Your behavior," Hierophant Pember said, "needs punishment. That detention, I feel, wasn't enough."

A harder slap rained down on the fullest part of his ass, and Vada couldn't help it; he lifted his hips so his ass was closer to Pember's hand, and he thrust forward into Rolston's hungry, grasping hand. The force of his orgasm swept through him, making him cry out, and Rolston shouted in surprise as cum spurted into his hand.

"My, that was quick," said Rolston.

"Naughty boy." Pember caressed Vada's ass. "Coming from a punishment? I'll have to punish you further. Shell?"

Shell pressed something into Pember's hand. Vada couldn't see it, for the Lord Superior Hierophant swung in front of him and tied a blindfold around Vada's eyes. A second restraint bound Vada's hands to the desk.

Something probed between his ass cheeks, something hard and slick and cold. Vada whimpered, bit down a protest. He could never let these men believe that he hated every minute of this. So he forced himself to thrust his hips backwards, accepting the device into his insides.

It pushed inside, bit by bit. It wasn't smooth, but bumpy in shape, pushing out against his inner passage. Vada moaned as he stretched around it.

"Oh, my, oh, my," Rolston said, his voice trembling with delight. "He's making his own lubricant."

"That's a special feature of incubus physiology," said Shell, his hands still stroking Vada's hair.

The device made it all the way inside, pushing hard and insistent against Vada's prostate. A place where Thorner had only managed to hit a couple of times last night. Stupid inept virgin. Vada let out a long, pathetic whine as the device pushed harder and harder...

Then somebody must have turned it on, because it began to vibrate, thrumming against his tender inner walls, making him toss his head back and keen. And - and - and it must have some kind of miraculous energy, as well, because a sudden crackling wave of _something_ flooded his insides, like electricity, setting his muscles on fire but also making his entire body exquisitely sensitive.

The sounds he was making were truly horrible, little gasps and sputters and choked moans, and he hated himself more and more. He writhed, arched his back, yanked against the bonds around his wrists, anything to escape that awful - terrible - _pleasurable_ \- sensation.

Then a thick thumb plunged into his mouth, yanking it wide open, followed by an even larger cock. Shell. Vada tried to yank himself back, but Shell tightened his grip in Vada's hair, forcing him forward, and Vada took the thick, throbbing head of Shell's cock into his mouth, sucking and licking at it with abandon.

Another cock, much smaller, poked his hands; Pember. Vada squeezed it, stroking and rubbing with both hands.

A third cock joined in, one he didn't recognize; Vada cried out in shock when bony, hairy hands dug into his hips and a cock slid slickly against his own cock. The sensation of the sensitive, throbbing flesh rubbing his own - it was driving him crazy.

"The markings," said Rolston's nasally voice. "They're so dark now. He really is an incubus."

"A slutty little incubus whore," chuckled the Lord Superior Hierophant. Judging by the ragged quality in his voice, he was touching himself. He always did so at their meetings, never fucked Vada directly. That was one small thing Vada could give thanks for.

The device worked madly inside him, vibrating and shooting him full of electric jolts of pleasure; Shell's huge cock thrust into his mouth, Pember's cock twitched and jumped in his hands; Rolston's cock rubbed against his own, so close yet so far away from the place where the device was throbbing. It made Vada want to scream, but all he could manage was a choked gasping around Shell's cock.

"Come now, come now, you can take it deeper than this, you can," Shell grunted, low and animalistic, his cock sliding deeper and deeper into Vada's throat. Tears pricked Vada's eyes, dampening the blindfold, but Shell was right - he had long learned to suppress his gag instinct. The hot, awful taste of the man's cock filled his mouth and throat, yet excited him further; he was so hard, and Rolston wouldn't stop rubbing, mad and desperate.

Rolston came. Hot liquid sputtered all over Vada's cock, driving Vada insane, and Rolston wasn't done; for he started smacking Vada's ass, driving the device even deeper inside, sending it pounding rhythmically against Vada's prostate. Vada wailed into Shell's cock. Then Shell came, spurting his sour cum deep into Vada's throat, making Vada choke and sputter. Shell took a long time drawing out, seemingly intent on rubbing his softening cock on every single surface in Vada's mouth. When he finally pulled his cock out, Vada gagged out cum.

More cum spurted in his hands. Pember was done. Then light footsteps headed toward him. A low grunt, a moan from the Lord Superior Hierophant. And cum splashed Vada's face, soaking into the blindfold, sliding down his cheeks like tears, getting into his mouth and mixing with the taste of Shell's cum.

That was enough - it was too much for Vada. His cock jumped, then his own orgasm, much stronger than the first one, swept through him like wildfire. Vada screamed aloud, so high that his voice broke. He arched his back, straining and struggling against his restraints, before finally collapsing, all the strength bleeding out his muscles.

He was soaked, drenched in cum and sweat. Filthy to the core. He lay still in a puddle of cum, gasping for breath, tasting cum in the air. Everywhere. A taste he had become intimately familiar with, but still disgusted him to the core.

A hand gripped the blindfold, then plucked it off. Vada blinked, slow and bleary, taking in the Lord Superior Hierophant's smiling face. The same beatific smile that he wore during all-Centarium blessings.

"My beautiful little incubus," the Lord Superior Hierophant breathed huskily, tracing the curve of Vada's cheekbone. Vada was too tired to either react to the touch or pull away.

The damn device was still working away inside him, sending dull electric jolts of pleasure through his inner walls. Vada whimpered, feeling himself beginning to harden again. In spite of everything...damn it...

Then a hand closed around the device, and pulled. Vada gasped, crying out loud as his insides loosened around the device, as an aching emptiness filled him. "W-wait, wait," he moaned, bucking his hips, madly trying to draw it back inside.

Another slap on his ass. "Don't be such a slut, boy," purred Rolston. "I'll fill you up soon, I promise."

"N - " But Vada clamped down on the word before it could form. He had no right. None. These men held his education - his future, his _life_ \- in their hands. He could never make them believe that he didn't want, didn't love, every damn humiliating second of this. That he might appear to be the cold, perfect Vada Imilai, the future Chosen One, but in reality was just a pathetic, needy little cum-slut.

_I'm not, I'm not_ \- he wasn't either. Too pathetic to be the Chosen One, but he didn't love this like an incubus would either. Dimly, he was aware of his hands being unclasped from the restraints, then Shell lifting him with strong arms, making him sink down onto Rolston's cock. Then Pember crouching down before him, pushing his own cock into Vada's mouth -

Vada squeezed his eyes shut, and let it happen.

There was nothing else he could do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, don't hesitate to comment or leave kudos if you're enjoying this story. I really want to hear your thoughts! Any and all feedback encourages me to write more.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is something of a nice breather chapter. I figured Vada kind of deserved a break after the intensity last time. Although things will soon be getting freaky again!

"Wake the fuck up, Hal!"

"Mm, five more minutes..."

"Hal, please, I really do think you should wake up." A much higher, squeakier voice. And far more pleasant to listen to than Cinda's cursing. "Cinda sounds desperate."

"I said five more minutes," Hal grumbled, rolling over.

Until wings beat rapidly and madly at his face. Not enough to really hurt, but enough to _sting._ Hal jumped out of bed and swiped out furiously, but didn't manage to catch Pency before she zipped away.

"There," Pency sniffed, hovering in midair. "Are you awake now? Talk to Cinda."

"Ugh." Hal hauled himself out of bed and stumbled to the door, thrusting it open just a crack. Cinda's eye peered back at him, pink stars whirling madly inside the pupil.

"Yeah, what is it, Cinda?" Hal said, a little alarmed by her urgent expression. But not enough to fully return to the land of the awake. "Do you have any fucking idea what hour it is?"

Actually, Hal had no idea himself, which meant shock jumped down his spine when Cinda said, "It's four o'clock."

So class was already out. Hal really had slept through the whole day. He felt considerably cheered by that prospect. He opened the door a little more, letting Cinda into the room.

"Listen, Hal, you're in trouble," Cinda said, shaking her head. "What did you get up to during your detention?"

All right, if Hal hadn't been awake before, _now_ he was totally, completely, incontrovertibly awake. How had - how had Cinda found out? That asshole Vada, had he blabbed?

Hal wisely managed to keep his mouth shut, though. He had the feeling that if Cinda knew, she would be a lot more shocked than this. Probably her first reaction would be to jump on top of him, beat him with her fists, and scream about how he had sex with Vada Imilai loud enough for the entire dorm to hear.

"What's the matter, Cinda?" Hal said, hoping he sounded bright and cheerful. He probably sounded fake.

"There's a bunch of girls outside," Cinda said. "They're demanding to see you."

"A bunch of girls?" Hal grinned, long and slow. "Sounds like my idea of paradise."

"Fucking idiot!" Cinda grabbed his collar and shook him. "They think you did something awful to Vada Imilai!"

 _Shit._ Had the news really come out? But surely if it had, Hal would already be dead. Murdered in his sleep. He had the feeling neither Cinda nor Rodmont would stop Vada's fangirl pack from murdering him, and Pency would try, bless her heart.

"Why? What happened to Imilai?" Hal managed between shakes.

"He hasn't shown up to class all day. He _never_ does this. The girls are certain you've turned him into a delinquent. Gave him delinquent-itis or something."

It took all of Hal's effort to suppress a relieved sigh. So the girls didn't know. Nobody knew. Vada had kept his promise.

"Wait," Hal said, some of Cinda's words finally registering with him. "He hasn't shown up to class?"

"And he's not seeing anyone in his room, according to the girls." Cinda sighed and shook her head. "You must have done something to traumatize him."

Shit. _Shit._ Hal had assumed that Vada was just going to go to class and be his usual disgusting perfect self without an ounce of sleep. He certainly had acted as though his sex with Hal had meant nothing. But what if that was just a front? What if he'd been truly horrified and disgusted with himself, and let it out as soon as he went back to his room?

Concern knifed through Hal. _Concern._ For Vada Imilai. But Vada was no longer just Hal's mortal enemy, much as Hal would wish he were. Like it or not, he'd shared something intimate with Vada. Had gotten to see some of his weaknesses.

And if he was sulking because of Hal...

Well, it didn't sit easy on Hal's conscience.

"'Scuse me, Cinda." Hal opened his door wider, pushing past Cinda. But to his surprise, Cinda stepped in his way.

"Where in the name of the ever-loving Nine-Armed One do you think you're going?"

"Uh." Hal blinked. "To see Imilai?"

"You _did_ do something, huh?" Cinda raised her eyebrows.

Hal blushed and sputtered. "I did not! I'm just worried for him, okay?"

"I thought you didn't give a shit about him."

"I don't," Hal lied. "It's just I don't want his fangirls to get the wrong impression..."

"That's why I'm saying you can't leave. They'll tear you limb to limb."

"I'll just go and, uh, calmly explain things to them."

"Hal, they are not in a calmly explaining things mood."

"Well, I can't stay holed up here, either," Hal said. "I'm done sleeping. Time for action!"

Cinda put her hands on her hips and tilted her head. "Never thought I'd hear that sentiment from you, Hal. I'm slightly, vaguely impressed."

"Great." Hal ran past her, only pausing to grab his jacket, which he slung on over his pajamas. He ran down the spiral staircase, then swerved around the base of the dorm building -

And almost collided with a mob of screaming girls.

"There you are," someone shouted.

"H-hey wait." Hal lifted his hands. Cinda had said the girls would tear him from limb to limb, but Hal hadn't realized just how many there were. Now her threat was looking more and more likely. Maybe he should have brought his armor and sword.

"Where is Vada?" the girls screamed, crowding around him. Fists thumped on his sides and head. Hands slapped. Or grabbed him and shook. Hal felt like he was going to throw up as the girls handed him around the crowd, screeching the same question at home and yelling that they would not forgive him if he hurt Vada.

"Calm, calm down, will you," Hal managed to gasp between blows.

Then a familiar low whisper cut through the girls' shrieks. "What's going on here?"

Hal's heart jumped. There, striding toward the mob, was a tall, dark-haired figure. Hal had never been happier to see that idiotic cape in his life.

Vada Imilai wasn't alone, either; a creature the size of a greyhound slinked by his side, all shadowy dark grace and translucent wings folded by its sides. Its scarlet eyes blazed like hellfire. Vada's night-dragon companion, Xargo.

"Vada!" As one, the girls mobbed Vada. But they kept a clear berth of Xargo, who growled and snapped at anyone who came too close to his master. Now Hal could see why Vada had brought his beast.

He was much more useful than Pency, at any rate. Though Hal noticed that Pency was flapping by his side. Aww, she had accompanied him down.

"I'll talk to all of you later. Please go back to the dorm," Vada was saying to the girls, who squealed in joy that he was noticing them. Which one, exactly, they began to debate amongst themselves - but while heading away. Presumably back to their dorm.

Which left Hal alone with Vada. Again.

Well, not strictly. Hal held out his hand and Pency landed, attaching her sticky feet to the side of his palm. Hal walked forward, and Vada moved toward him, Xargo slinking alongside.

"I'm sorry about that," Vada said.

"Huh? About what?"

"The girls." Vada sighed. This close, Hal now noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes. It was the first time Hal had seen him anything less than perfectly put together.

Okay...not the first time. Hal swallowed, fighting back memories.

"It's okay, man. They were just concerned about you," Hal said.

Vada blinked a few times, looking faintly alarmed, though Hal couldn't comprehend why.

"Uh..." Hal sweated, searching for something to say. Damn, why was this so hard? What _did_ you say to a guy who you hated and who hated you but you'd had sex with him because he was an incubus? There really was no guide for this situation. "Um, uh, er...are you really all right?"

"What? Of course I am," Vada snapped, a little too quickly.

"I mean, you look tired and shit..." Hal's voice trailed off. He was so, _so_ bad at this. Which Pency saw fit to remind him of.

"Hal, I keep telling you, please don't curse!"

Vada's eyes slid over to Pency. Pency puffed herself up, spreading out her wings to make herself look bigger. Xargo growled, a low, dangerous sound. Pency puffed further.

Hal tried his damnedest not to giggle. He really did. But it escaped anyway.

" _Hal!"_ Pency whined, rounding on him and beating her wings frantically.

"Sorry, sorry, just, you're not gonna win any intimidation competitions anytime soon!"

"Is that your companion beast?" Vada asked.

Hal blushed and fought the urge to try to cover Pency. She would never forgive him for that. "Yeah, her name's Pency. She's a minor-dragon."

"She seems like a good companion," Vada said. "You have a good rapport."

The hell? He was acting the complete opposite from how he'd been yesterday. Hal was more than a little put out. Vada had said to put their sex behind them, but it seemed to have improved Vada's opinion of him, somehow.

Maybe he hadn't done that badly after all. Hal fought the urge to puff _his_ chest out.

"Now, will you come with me?" Vada asked, gesturing toward Hal. A bit of his old imperious haughtiness was back. Hal stared.

"Come with you...where?"

 _To have some more sex? Damn, aren't you eager?_ But Hal had to say it wasn't an entirely unwelcome prospect...

No, what was he thinking? _Get your mind outta the gutter!_

Anyway, what Vada actually said smashed any and all hopes Hal might have had. "To extra lessons."

" _Extra lessons?"_ Hal sputtered.

"Yes." Vada looked annoyed. "You skipped class today, but I'm not about to let you skip your extra lessons. Let's go, and see if you can improve your dishonorable performance even just the slightest bit."

Hal boggled. " _I_ skipped class? So did you, Mr. Perfect!"

Vada's face turned white. Then he turned sharply away. When he spoke, his voice was much rougher. "Whatever. Just come."

So he had been affected by what they'd done...but it hadn't made him want to avoid Hal. Hal wondered why, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

 _What the hell? Since when did I actually want to spend time with this asshole?_ Since fucking him, Hal supposed. He at least liked to look at Vada now. His graceful movements, his beautiful face.

Okay, yeah, that was reason enough. "All right." Hal put on a winsome smile. "Let's go. I'm sure looking forward to some nice extra lessons."

"Are you, Hal?" Tears flooded Pency's eyes. "Oh, I'm so proud of you!"

 _Shit._ "Yeah, um, yeah. I totally am. Don't cry, Pency darling." Hal patted her head.

"Oh." The tears flowed. "You were just teasing me. Hal, you're the worst! I hate you!"

"No, Pency! Don't cry! Please!"

Hal spent the rest of the walk trying to calm Pency down, while getting the very unpleasant feeling that Vada and Xargo were internally snickering at him. Though at least they were polite enough to not do it aloud?

* * *

To Hal's surprise, Vada remained with him as Hal entered the classroom of the first afternoon class, Offensive Miraclism. "Er, you can go now, you know," Hal said.

Vada's eyebrow twitched. "I'm attending too. I missed class today as well, after all."

What a puke-perfect good boy he was.

Of course, Vada immediately made a grand impression on the few sleepy students and the sleepy teacher in the classroom, who shot to quick attention as though they'd had a sudden jolt of coffee. The teacher, a Vurmble whose lower half was long, segmented, and squishy, spent the entire lesson skittering about and barking orders at her students. It made for a miserable experience, as Hal was used to his Offensive Miraclism teacher being laid-back and casual.

Miraclism involved the most basic usage of miraculous energy; rather than channeling it through objects as Architecturalists, Fashioners, and Beneficers did, Miraclists released the energy in the form of offensive power. Vada demonstrated his ability to create lightning, which inspired oohs and aahs and made Hal scowl, as the best Hal could do after all this time was a puff of smoke.

Worse, Hal couldn't nod off during class like he usually did, or even spread out and take up some extra seats due to the low attendance. For Vada had parked himself right next to Hal, and elbowed him quite violently every time Hal's head began to droop. For the first time in ages, Hal found himself _paying attention_ during class. It was an altogether new feeling and one Hal didn't like.

Although he didn't object to sitting next to Vada. Well, not completely. The glares that the other students shot him made his skin skitter, but at the same time, he was close enough to breathe in Vada's scent. It was rather more muted than it had been in the Armor Vault, but Hal tasted the rich, deep plum fragrance with every breath and it stirred to life dark, illicit memories. Not to mention, when he could get away with it he stole glances at Vada's elegant, blade-sharp profile, the way those dumb spikes of his shifted with every slight movement, the delicate grip of his long fingers around his pen.

It made Hal hot in the face. Yeah, now that he had time to think about it, he really _didn't_ regret having sex with Vada Imilai.

Too bad the next extra class was Enforcement Practicum. Which took place in an open-air ampitheater, and involved the Devotees putting on their armors and whaling at each other for an hour. The teacher was an unsmiling, unfriendly woman, Maska Glale, who might be a Rusaida Clansman but had no special love for Hal.

In fact, she must have hated him, for she paired him with Vada for sparring practice. "Maybe he can learn from the best, Imilai," Glale barked.

"Shit, go easy on me, please?" Hal said.

"There's no such thing as _going easy_ in real combat," Vada shot back, twirling his sword. "Dark Star, descend the endless night."

This, Hal realized, must be the secret words that unsealed his armor. Hal and all the others watched, wide-eyed, as the armor spread across Vada's body, covering him in spiked, midnight-black plates. Everything except the stupid cape, at least. A horned helmet slid over his head, the visor falling down and blocking his face.

This view wasn't nearly as good as the one without armor, Hal had to say. Sighing, Hal muttered his own secret words. Just the school passcode, "Unseal and reveal." Which Hal hated saying, as it sounded ridiculous and cutesy.

And worse, he had to say it multiple times, and it still wasn't working. Hal grew redder and redder. The dumb pauldrons weighed down his shoulders, so damn heavy. He wanted to get up and run away.

Eventually, Vada lost patience, for he flipped up his visor and snapped, "What in the name of the Ever-Loving Angel is the matter, Thorner?"

"I'm trying but it's not working," Hal said, hating that his voice came out a whine.

Vada shook his head, then stomped over, bent down, and hissed, "Unseal and reveal." Just like that, Hal felt the armor spark to life, and the next thing he knew, with great creaks and squeals, the rest of the rusty red plates were forming all over his body.

"Hey, how did you get it to work? I'm wearing it!" Hal said, shock swimming inside him.

"These are a school set. They work for anyone." _Except you,_ though that went without saying.

Hal sighed and hefted his sword. It was heavy, weighing down his arms. Not like the long, slender swords of the Rusaida. Who ever decided that Enforcer armor was a better way to fight, anyway?

Well, Enforcers had miraculous power, but sometimes Hal thought that the wind-quick way the best warriors moved, how they commanded their horses like one being instead of two, could take the breath away far better than the flashiest Enforcer light show.

They didn't start with the light show, though, to Hal's relief, because he was no good at that aspect. Instead, they sparred sword-to-sword. Fighting against the clanky armor every step of the way, Hal brought his sword up to meet Vada's, side-stepped, ducked. It was nice to fall into the simple rhythms of swordfighting, even if Vada was far swifter and nimbler than most opponents Hal had faced.

 _Most except -_ but Hal refused to finish the thought.

As Hal's arms grew numb, he lowered his sword with a groan. "Seriously, Imilai, doesn't this bother you? I bet you'd rather be doing anything right now except sparring with someone as awful as me."

Again Vada flipped up his visor, surveying Hal with cool golden eyes. "Actually, you're not awful. Your footwork and swordplay are quite good, though not Centarium standard."

Hal always defaulted to the rhythms that had been drilled into him since the moment he could walk - the moment his training as a Rusaida warrior began. All these years at the Centarium hadn't broken him from the habit, and he was glad for it.

"I'd be better if I didn't have to wear this fucking armor," Hal grumbled. Luckily Pency was sitting this one out, for she would have starting wailing about his cursing.

Vada's mouth twitched a bit, but then he stepped back, pointing Dark Star. "Let's move on. Basic weapon miracles."

Great. Hal couldn't get his weapon to do one miracle. Even the basics were out of the question. Sure enough, the rest of the duel proceeded far worse than the beginning. Hal ended up knocked flat to the ground more often than not, though he sensed that Vada was trying to soften Dark Star's energy slices.

By the end of it all, Hal was sweaty and cranky and the sun was already setting. And he still had two more extra lessons to attend.

The next was Taming, where their focus was on forming a psychic bond with their companion. The idea was that they could see through their companion's eyes, and vice versa. Hal spent most of the hour arguing with Pency until she cried. Her wails were still echoing off the walls as Hal left, redder than a beetroot.

"Angel's sake, Pency, just, please, quiet it down," Hal begged as he patted her.

"Can I see her?" To Hal's surprise, Vada reached out for Pency. Pency blinked teary eyes up at him - before, the traitor, hopping onto Vada's hand. Her sucker-legs attached with a nasty squishing sound.

"Hey, hey!" Hal waved his arms as Vada stroked Pency's head.

"It's all right, Pency. Don't cry." And holy shit, Vada was _smiling._ For a moment, Hal forgot how to breathe. He'd never seen a smile on Mr. Perfect's face before. It softened the severe lines of his features, made his eyes sparkle like gold coins. "A lady like you shouldn't mar your beauty with tears."

Yeah, Hal could really believe that Vada was an incubus. That kind of charm was doing funny things to his own head.

Pency spent the rest of the night blushing bright pink and crooning about what a gentleman Vada Imilai was, _completely_ unlike you, Hal! It grew rather tiring to listen to, and Hal tuned it out in his last class, which was essay composition. Hal quickly scrawled out some drivel that might be related to the prompt, if he squinted, before spending the rest of the hour sneaking glances at Vada. In the greenish lighting of the globe-fish, his pale skin appeared to glow, a stark contrast to his black hair.

By the time extra lessons ended, Hal was as numb with exhaustion as if he'd endured a day of actual school. If not worse, because Vada had forced him to pay attention. He had no idea how he'd handle extra lessons on top of a full day of classes from now on.

As he stumbled toward his dorm, though, Vada grabbed his arm and dragged him into a narrow alley between two buildings.

"Whoa, hey, what!" Hal shouted as Vada leaned forward and slammed his palm into the wall. His eyes filled Hal's vision, blazing with hatred, but even now Hal was admiring the stark curve of his cheekbones, the shadows painting lovely patterns across the contours of his face.

"Stop," Vada hissed, "staring at me like that."

"Like what?" Hal blabbed, since he didn't know the definition of not digging when he was in trouble.

"Like...like...you know what I'm talking about," Vada said, low and urgent.

"Where's Pency?" Hal suddenly wondered, glancing around. He was all alone with Vada in this alley. It was like the two of them were the only people in the world.

"Xargo's entertaining her. I need to have a word with you."

Hal's gaze fell to Vada's full lips, and he remembered how they'd felt around his cock, so sweet and warm, and it sent a halfway-pleasant twinge through his stomach. Hal's legs trembled.

"Make it a quick word," Hal managed to say.

"Why, virgin? Are you going to lose control and cum right here and now?" And then before Hal could figure out what was going on, Vada lifted his leg and drove his knee into Hal's crotch.

 _"Arrgh!"_ Hal's shout seemed to echo for miles. Pain surged through him - yet he only got harder. He crumpled to his knees.

"Never look at me with those eyes again. What we did, _forget about it,"_ Vada said, each word as cold as ice. "Go get a girlfriend if you want to stick your dick in something so badly. Or a boyfriend, since you appear to swing that way."

Hal flushed. Reflexively, his fist clenched around the locket.

"Now good night, and _fuck you_." With that, Vada swept around, cape flaring behind him, and marched away.

Hal groaned, long and low, and bent double while clutching his throbbing family jewels.

* * *

"That two-faced jerk! And I even let him charm me!" Pency wailed and fretted, flapping her wings madly as she zipped around Hal. "Oh, Hal, are you all right? Poor Hal, I'm so sorry for being such a disloyal companion!"

"Nah, Pency, you're all right," Hal sighed. He hadn't told Pency where Vada had actually hurt him, but Pency had gathered enough to surmise that Vada had tried to beat him up. Or something along those lines. Hal sat in the wide sill of his tower room's bay window, gazing out at the dark campus dotted with globe-fish. But his mind couldn't be further away.

He relived the impact of Vada's knee against his cock, the twin surges of pleasure and pain. And before that, the night that Vada had told him to forget - but how could he? Like it or not, it had left an indelible impact on Hal. For Angel's sake, he'd lost his virginity. That had to count for something.

The sensation of his skin slapping Vada's, his cock engulfed in Vada's tight heat, the slickness of Vada's sweat beneath his fingers, Vada's moans and gasps, the smell, the heat, how could he possibly make himself forget it?

Hal's breathing sped up. Shit. He was getting all hot and bothered, and with Pency still flapping about.

"Pency," he said. "Could you give me a moment?"

"Oh, of course! Certainly!" Wide-eyed, Pency flapped out of the window. Hal shut it after her, then, leaning against the glass, reached for his pants.

Pency left him without question because Hal had clutched his locket. While Pency didn't understand the locket's import, she knew it was something personal, and always gave Hal space when he reminisced.

But tonight, for the first time, Hal wasn't honoring Rayton. Guilt squirmed inside him, but it was displaced by memories of Vada Imilai writhing beneath his touch, arching his back into a near-perfect curve, tendons bulging in his throat...

Hal rubbed and stroked faster. His cock was still tender from Vada's assault, but that just made him more insanely sensitive. It was already slick and jumping.

He imagined it not in his hands, but in Vada's ass, or mouth maybe, surrounded by wet, slick warmth and drawing it deeper, deeper, deeper inside. He thrust more quickly, madly, biting his shirt collar to hide his moans.

 _I'm sorry, Rayton,_ he thought, but another, stronger thought prevailed. _Rayton will understand. My heart still belongs to him, and will never belong to another._

_I just want to fuck Vada again._

Hal bent double as his release surged upon him, splashing across his fingers. He gasped, sweat sticking his hair to his face. Tears were burning in his eyes. He didn't know why.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and he didn't know if he was apologizing to himself, to Rayton, or even to Vada.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos, bookmarks, and views so far. Every little bit of feedback makes my day, and I'm always curious to know what people think about my story!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is monster sex in this chapter. I said this story would be depraved, didn't I?

The next morning. The same medusid transport waiting. The same trip down to the Left Eye of Ghestruel.

This time, Rolston wasn't there. Nor were the two Grand Hierophants. Instead, the Lord Superior Hierophant was accompanied by a student in a black jacket, a smirk on his face and his golden hair blowing in a wind-miracle.

Of course. Gavidio Damascanara's parents sat on the Centarium board. It would be good to curry favor with him. Or at least that was how the Lord Superior Hierophant explained things.

Vada dully approached the desk, stripping off his clothes as he did so. They fell in piles behind him, marking a trail.

Gavidio's eyes widened in appreciation. The tip of his tongue shot out, licked his lips. Vada hated everything about Gavidio - his gleaming golden skin, his pointed ears, his leaf-green eyes. He was a true, proper elf. Vada had turned out looking more like his father.

Mother had said it was nothing to be ashamed of, but surely Mother would be ashamed now, seeing what he did every day...

Like always, Vada forced the thoughts of Mother away. They were too painful. Instead, he climbed onto the desk, watching Gavidio carefully. Gavidio's eyes roamed across his body, making Vada's skin skitter - and sent a twinge of heat through his cock. His markings were already beginning to appear.

"Imilai," Gavidio said huskily, reaching out and caressing Vada's face with his hand, his thumb stroking over Vada's lips. Vada parted his lips slightly, letting his eyes slide half shut, and tentatively licked the tip of Gavidio's thumb.

"So pretty," Gavidio murmured. "My dear upperclassman. You really are amazing."

Vada was now concentrating on licking and sucking on Gavidio's fingers, coating them thoroughly with his saliva. Gavidio's skin tasted like roses, probably from the myriad lotions and creams he smeared on himself. The fingers roamed in his mouth, caressing his tongue, brushing his palate. Vada didn't gag.

Then Gavidio drew his hand away, and his eyes had a fresh gleam in them. "May I open the package now, Lord Superior Hierophant?"

"Of course." The Lord Superior Hierophant gestured, and the lids flew off of several wooden crates stacked against the walls. Vada had noticed them, but hadn't thought they had anything to do with him.

Until...until something crawled out of a crate, followed by another, and another, and they were sliding across the floor toward the desk. Creatures made of slime, bubbling and purple, with long, grasping tendrils and big golden eyes. They clambered up the sides of the desk, expertly maneuvering using their tendrils, and reached out and brushed Vada's calves and thighs.

Vada jerked back. "What, what are - "

"Kuathey Slimes," Gavidio said. "My family collected them from the heart of the jungle. They love to kidnap tribe maidens, make them bear their eggs."

"No, no." Vada shrank back, but the slimes just kept coming, covering the entire surface of the desk. "I don't - I don't want - "

He could get away with saying no to Gavidio, in a way he couldn't for the other men who fucked him, not that it would do him any good. It was only the illusion of agency. Gavidio never listened, indeed only seemed more turned on by his protests.

They began to crawl over his legs, leaving trails of mucus as they went. The mucus tingled upon Vada's skin, making him feel curiously numb yet exquisitely awake at the same time. He whimpered, trying to pull away from the creatures, but they were surrounding him, brushing their tendrils over his arms, his chest, his nipples, his face, his mouth...

Then they found his cock. Two tendrils swept over his balls; Vada swallowed a sob as he felt them tighten. Another tendril brushed the length of his cock, leaving a faint trail of mucus. Even that much was enough to make his cock stiffen, to send jolts of pleasure shooting through his entire body.

"The mucus is a paralyzing agent and an aphrodisiac, I've been told," Gavidio said conversationally, drawing up a chair beside Vada even as he touched himself. "We'll have you begging for it soon enough."

"I - I won't - _ah!"_ As a thicker tendril slid into his mouth.

The slime was cool, smooth, and tasted oddly sweet. Tears pricked Vada's eyes as he leaned forward and sucked on it, delicately at first, then with more force and fervor. Like always, his body was already reacting, already betraying him.

The tendril probed deeper into his mouth, reaching the back of his throat. Thicker tendrils wrapped around his cock, beginning to pump it for real. Vada let out a muffled moan. The tingling was growing unbearable; the mucus left his skin so sensitive that even the soft whisper of the office air made his cock pulse.

And he couldn't move, couldn't protest, as the creatures spread his arms and legs, then lifted his thighs, exposing his asshole. Already dripping with lube. Vada squeezed his eyes shut, blinking out tears.

Gavidio snickered. "So wet already, Imilai? Well, my friends, let's give him what he wants."

As if responding to Gavidio's signal, two tendrils probed his asshole, stretching it wide open. Vada gasped at the sudden sensation of emptiness, of exposure. Everyone could see, everyone was staring straight into his quivering insides...

The tears rolled down his cheeks. He writhed, but the slimes already had him thoroughly pinned down. They were working on rubbing his nipples now, coating them with the tingling mucus, making him whimper into the tendril in his mouth.

Then a slime surged forward, its body changing shape so it was long and thick. Vada stared in horror as it pushed its way inside his wide-open entrance.

" _Nhh!"_ Crying out, he arched his back. The sudden fullness made him writhe. The tendrils all over his body rubbed harder, sending up little flares of pleasure, but nothing could compare to that cool, smooth slime sliding its way deeper and deeper inside, filling up every single empty space in his passage.

Then he felt another slime pushing at his entrance, pushing at the first slime, forcing it to make room...

_"Mhh! No, no,"_ Vada cried into the tendril stuffed in his mouth. " _N - mmmaaahhh - "_

His voice vanished into a deep gasp when the second slime plunged its way inside, twining around the first one, pushing him even wider open. Unbearably. There was no room left; he was so full; he was going to explode from the pain and the pressure. And the two slimes were slamming against his prostate now, pounding a violent, alternating rhythm that made his entire body jerk.

The tendril slid out of his mouth, leaving behind a trail of mucus; Vada sputtered and gasped and wailed. "Please, please, take it out, I'll break, stop, please - "

"Really, Imilai?" Gavidio's murmur seemed to drift from far away. "You seem to be acquitting yourself quite well here. Look how hard you've gotten."

Several slimes had wrapped around his cock, tugging so hard on it that Vada feared it would fall off. He was jumping and twitching in their grasp, and when they slid aside Vada whined a protest - which died into a strangled cry when Gavidio wrapped his firm fingers around his cock.

"N, no, no, no," Vada gasped, panted, sputtering pointless, useless protests as the two slimes fucked him into the desk and Gavidio pumped him. His head was banging against the desk with each ferocious thrust. Everything was a mass of pain, but tingling with sticky, shameful pleasure as well. His vision stared to go red at the edges.

No matter how much he begged, how much he fought, he could never free himself of this. This was his life, from now until forever.

The tears came harder and faster. The slimes pounded and pounded, tearing him apart from the inside. Gavidio tugged and yanked with abandon, and his orgasm was violently wrenched from him. At the same time that the slimes spewed their thick, sticky mucus deep inside him, and Gavidio splashed his cum all over Vada's stomach, Vada's cock twitched and throbbed and cum came shooting out, fat thick globs of it landing all over his stomach and thighs.

The slimes slid out, leaving him empty and aching. The ones holding him down, groping his body, flicked their tendrils and left a few last tingling reminders before sliding away. Vada collapsed against the desk, thoroughly drained. His tears traced stinging trails down his face.

"Pretty little Vada. Don't cry." The Lord Superior Hierophant bent down, brushing a papery hand across Vada's cheek.

"I'm, I'm sorry, L-Lord Superior," Vada managed to gasp through his dry throat.

"What do you have to apologize for?" The Lord Superior Hierophant sounded amused. "You gave a marvelous performance."

"And it's not over." Gavidio climbed onto the desk, straddling Vada, then swiped his hand through the mix of cum and mucus on Vada's chest, leaving a wide trail. "We've just gotten started, my favorite cum dumpster."

His hand swept lower, tracing Vada's abdominal muscles, and damn it all, an answering surge heat ran through Vada's cock. This didn't escape Gavidio's notice, for he chuckled. "Slut."

_That's right. That's all I am. Mother, I..._ But Vada didn't want to think about his mother, not here, not now. His thoughts would only shame her.

He turned his head to the side, closed his eyes, and let it happen.

* * *

"You went to extra classes with Imilai! You sparred with him! The girls are gonna kill you!" cried Rodmont, as tactless as ever.

Hal was in no mood to talk about Vada. Or even think about him, for that matter. His mind kept turning back and back to his fantasies when he'd been touching himself. Of Vada twitching beneath him, crying out in pleasure. Or holding him tight and kissing him, his mouth hot and sweet and tasting like plums...

Shit. Hal shook his head to clear it and marched on ahead. Vada clearly wanted nothing to do with him anymore, and Hal ought to make his peace with it. It would be selfish to do otherwise.

Vada didn't enjoy being an incubus, that much was clear. There was a reason he kept it a secret, after all. What must it be costing him to have to share his secret with Hal? And now Hal was reacting like Vada was any ordinary incubus, and it must be driving Vada crazy with fury. And shame.

Hal himself was not a person who felt much in the way of shame, if any, but he understood people he did. So he knew that his dark, filthy thoughts were shaming Vada, even if Vada would never find out about them.

Hal still couldn't help but wonder how an incubus had found himself to the halls of the Centarium, let alone as the top Devotee. Already, Hal had formed a theory that Vada wasn't a full incubus. Hence why his markings didn't appear all the time, and why he could masquerade as an elf. His other half was probably elf anyway, on account of his name and appearance.

But that didn't make sense; Hal had thought incubi were incapable of getting elven women pregnant. Nor did incubi typically procreate when they took energy from other beings. They used succubi for that purpose.

Oh, well. Hal would have to keep wondering. He certainly could never ask.

Now Hal was walking to extra lessons, dreading his first encounter with Vada after that knee to the dick. Rodmont had generously agreed to waste his own afternoon on accompanying Hal, which surprised and even touched Hal, just a little bit. Maybe he'd written his friends off as fair-weather turncoats too quickly.

Hal was already feeling beaten down from his school day. He didn't know why, but he had actually made an effort in classes for once. He'd sat upright, refused to drift into sleep when he got tired, and taken notes instead of doodling. When readings were assigned, he actually read them. In practical classes, he threw his all into channeling miraculous energy and activating his armor, whereas before he'd have given up after a few half-hearted attempts.

Vada's fangirls had thought Hal had infected Vada with delinquent-itis, but maybe Vada had done the reverse and infected Hal with Perfect-itis.

Though truth to be told, Hal's motives were probably guilt. After their encounter last night, Hal didn't want to walk into his next meeting with Vada with even more reasons for Vada to hate him.

Why did Hal care about that jerk's impression of him, anyway? Nothing Hal could do would salvage it anyway. Vada had already made up his mind. In his head, Hal was forever branded a loser slacker pervert virgin.

Vada Imilai was already in the Offensive Miraclism classroom; this time he had brought a few members of his typical posse. His eyes met Hal's. Swallowing, Hal looked away.

And spent the rest of the afternoon doing his best to not pay attention to Vada. A bit difficult when memories of last night were still so fresh and when Vada's every movement reminded him of their sex in the Armor Vault. But still, Hal tried. He focused on creating smoke, and succeeded in filling the whole room with roiling dark clouds, to the point where the teacher had to evacuate the students. In his Enforcer class, he focused on summoning his armor, managed to get it in three tries, and promptly knocked over his opponent with a well-placed sword blow.

So it went. Actually, Hal ended up doing better than he had in ages at school. He was almost happy by the time he was done.

"Holy shit," said a wide-eyed Rodmont. "Extra lessons actually work."

More like, _I need a distraction from staring at Vada Imilai_ actually worked. Not that Hal was ever going to tell that to Rodmont.

The evening ended, and the students drifted away. Rodmont invited Hal to a game of cards with his dorm mates, but Hal rather disliked the company Rodmont had started keeping. Older kids who smoked endless rounds of grinjal and talked circles of pseudo-philosophy. Rodmont said, "Your loss!" and skipped off.

Hal skipped too, almost bursting with eagerness to go home and tell Pency. For once she wouldn't sigh or cry or beat him with her wings - okay, maybe she'd cry from sheer joy. Hal couldn't wait to see the look on her face.

Hal jumped from a balcony onto a bridge to take a shortcut -

And almost ran smack into Vada Imilai.

"Uh," was the best Hal could manage as he stared up at Vada's impassive face.

"Thorner," Vada said. He looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"Sorry." Hal quickly tore his gaze away and scuttled down the length of the bridge. "I'll just go, uh, that way." Even though it would take him the exact opposite direction from his dorm.

Vada held out his hand. "Wait."

"What is it?" Hal paused, wary.

"I just...I wanted to..." Vada swallowed, then started again. His voice was quiet. "Thank you."

"Huh? For what? Oh, are you thanking me for doing great? Yeah, I'm amazed myself. Maybe I can really do it if I put my mind to it."

Now Vada looked more put out than anything. "If you know that to be true, then why have you never tried before?"

"It was too hard," Hal said.

"Then what's changed now? And why are you still at the Centarium if you think it's too hard?" Uh oh, Vada was definitely peeved. Hal had rather preferred the uncertainy in his voice when he'd first thanked Hal.

Hal scowled. This was getting a little too personal. His hand closed around the locket. He glared over the side of the bridge, at the twinkling globe-fish below.

"I made someone a promise," he said, finally.

"A promise?" Vada blinked.

"And that's all I'm saying on that," Hal said. "So what were you thanking me for?"

"For..." Vada took a deep breath, then raked a hand through his spikes. "For actually listening to me. I - I didn't expect you to."

_Oh._ That was right, the reason Hal had done so well was because of his ignore-Vada tactic. Which had stemmed from last night's kick to the groin.

"You were upset," Hal said, shrugging. "So I figured, I didn't want to make you more upset." _My dick can't withstand that much torture!_

"That's...I mean, I know that attraction is hard to control," Vada said. His whisper was so soft Hal had to strain to hear it. "So thank you for making the effort. It really does mean a lot to me."

He lowered his head, his hands clenched into fists. The silence settled thick and uncomfortable over the two of them. Hal shifted, wanting to leave, but not wanting to walk past Vada like this.

The faint night breeze carried Vada's scent toward him, a scent that was growing stronger and thicker. Hal swallowed. He had done well, very well, to ignore Vada tonight. But now it was going to be impossible.

Quick, he had to skedaddle before the physical signs appeared. Hal began edging back down the bridge. He'd just take the long way to his dorm.

"Thorner." Vada's whisper drifted with the breeze, along with his scent. "Come here."

"Come here and what?"

"Would you..." Vada swallowed, then started again. "Would you like to sleep with me?"

_"Huh?"_ Hal had never been more surprised, not even that time Rayton had played a prank on him and moved the tent while he'd been sleeping so Hal woke up on top of a tree. He stared at Vada, his mouth wide open just like a gaping goldfish, but damn, he couldn't help it!

Were his ears _working?_

"I said," Vada said, sounding more ill at ease, "would you like to sleep with me?"

"Er, what's, what the hell's changed?"

"What do you mean, changed?"

"I thought - you don't like that I'm attracted to you. You told me not to look at you. And now you're saying - I don't get it!"

"It's called gratitude, you idiot." Vada stepped closer. "Do you understand?"

"Nope, 'fraid I don't," Hal squeaked.

"You've proven you can control yourself, so I will be happy to reward you." Vada sighed, then reached for Hal. His fingertips grazed Hal's shoulders, stirring to life bright, electric feelings. Hal bit his lip as his cock stiffened.

Even so, he didn't want to give in. Not now. This was - too much, too fast. "Sex, sex isn't a reward."

"What do you know, virgin?" Vada's tone was soft and cutting.

"Can you stop calling me that? I'm not a virgin anymore." To his shame, Hal's voice came out a squeak.

"Virgin is a mindset, not a state of being," Vada said, rolling his eyes. "And you are most firmly stuck there. Come, virgin. I can give you what you've been dreaming of."

He reached out, his fingers playing with the ends of Hal's Rusaida braids. Hal could barely breathe. He didn't _want_ to breathe, else he'd taste Vada's thick, syrupy scent in the air, and it would remove his ability to think coherently, if he still even possessed it...

Vada moved closer and closer. Hal couldn't make himself back off. Soon Vada rested a hand on the small of Hal's back, his touch exquisitely light, and bent around and brushed his tongue along the edge of Hal's ear.

His other hand reached down and delivered Hal's package a very firm squeeze.

Hal jumped. Vada snickered. "You're hard, virgin. Don't protest."

"Hubba wubba dubba bluh," Hal answered most coherently.

"Come with me." Vada tugged on Hal's arm, and this time Hal moved. He stumbled after Vada, watching himself as if in a dream, and they left the bridge and entered the building. Vada spun toward a door, opened it, and pulled Hal into the empty room. Then he locked the door and with his hands wove a web of silvery miraculous energy over it.

"Huh? That's Contemplation, isn't it?" Hal said. "But Contemplation's not one of your Three Arms."

"Like any good Devotee, I know arts beyond my chosen Arms," Vada snapped, much more brisk and familiar. But not for long. He loped toward Hal again, moving with his dark, predatory grace, and took Hal's chin between his fingers.

Emboldened, Hal moved. He pressed his hands to Vada's chest, then leaned up for a kiss -

Only for Vada to shove his head away. "I said no kissing."

"Why?" Hal whined.

"Because you obviously suck at it, virgin." Hal suspected this wasn't the real reason, but didn't ask further. After all, all thought was wiped from his mind when Vada shed his cape and opened his jacket.

His hands moved to the buttons of his shirt, but Hal moved first. He took the front of Vada's shirt, then looked up. "Can I?"

Vada blinked. "If you want."

With trembling fingers, Hal forced the buttons out of their holes, then drew the shirt open. It seemed to take longer than he expected. His hands were shaking too much. When he swept his eyes over Vada's pale, bare chest, already covered with markings, his breath caught.

Shaking, Hal reached out and slid his hands across Vada's skin. It was just as hot as he remembered, slick with sweat. He could feel Vada's chest heave beneath his touch and it made his heart beat faster, his excitement pulse. His fingers moved to Vada's nipples, tweaked the stiff pink buds. Vada tossed his head back and moaned.

A lovely pink flush had colored his face, tinged his lips. So beautiful. Hal really, really wanted to kiss him.

But Vada had said not to, so Hal wouldn't. He instead brought his mouth to Vada's chest, gently licking around a nipple, before biting down. Vada gasped sharply.

His gasp turned into a snarl of protest when Hal drew away, but Hal instead moved behind Vada, sliding the shirt off his shoulders. Inch by inch, he exposed the pale, lean expanse of Vada's back. Heart pounding, Hal leaned down and pressed his lips to the dip between Vada's shoulder blades.

"Is it no kissing in general?" he breathed against Vada's skin. "Or can I kiss you here?"

"Anywhere but the mouth," Vada said.

Hal eagerly touch the invitation. He planted a gentle, fluttering kiss on the pale skin. Then lower, tracing kisses down the ridge of Vada's spine. He felt Vada's muscles shift and stiffen, heard Vada gasp softly with each kiss.

Hal reached the waistband of Vada's pants. He reached around to Vada's front -

Only for Vada's hands to clamp down around his wrists. Vada drew Hal's hands away, then flipped Hal over. Hal landed on his back atop a desk.

"H-hey, wait, wait, _what_ \- "

Then his voice vanished into a squeal when Vada opened the fly of his pants and drew out his stiff, throbbing cock.

He squeezed Hal's cock, making Hal groan aloud. The pleasure was too much, building and building in the pit of his stomach, a tingling heat. It transformed into a full-on fire when Vada bent his head and took Hal's cock into his mouth.

He sucked with great enthusiasm, taking Hal's cock all the way to the balls. And oh, _Ghestruel,_ it was even better than in Hal's fantasies. The heat pulsed against his cock, the wetness slicked it, and he felt as though he were melting - he was really melting inside Vada's expert mouth, beneath Vada's expert tongue. Vada caressed the head with his tongue, licked the tip, sucked up his precum -

Then he lifted himself from Hal. He smirked, moved his hands to his own pants -

Hal flung up his hands. "No, no. Finish it."

Vada looked a little uncertain. "Don't you want to fuck me?"

"I, I do," Hal blathered.

"Then do it."

"But tonight, tonight I'm just fine if you use your mouth," Hal continued, forcing the words out through his desperate low gasps and pants. "You don't have to - it's good like this too."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, damn it! Hurry up!"

"Such an eager virgin." Sighing, Vada bent back down over Hal's cock. When Hal's cock slid back inside that tight warmth, Hal cried aloud. He arched his back, straining to get even more of his cock into Vada's mouth, feeling it hit the back of Vada's throat.

Vada sucked and licked, the sounds echoing around the room, his face bright red. So beautiful. And he was pumping his own cock as he worked, gasping and panting. Hal felt them as delicate brushes of air against his cock, driving him even more insane.

"I-Imilai," Hal gasped, twitching and writhing. "Too good, this is too good, you're great, you're - "

Vada slowly lifted himself from Hal's cock, pausing to plant a kiss on the slit. Hal's cock jerked, fire seared through his body -

Then Vada ducked back down over his cock, swallowing it all the way, and Hal groaned and cursed as he came right into Vada's mouth.

Vada gasped and sputtered, but didn't pull away. Hal could feel his cum gushing down Vada's throat, and it made him cum harder. He flailed like a dying fish, certain he looked ridiculous but unable to stop himself.

Then Vada drew back, releasing Hal's limp cock bit by bit. He tossed his head back, his throat convulsed, then he gasped and brushed cum from his lips. He gazed at his cum-stained fingertips, then darted his tongue out and licked them.

"Virgin cum," he said. "A nice taste."

"D-damn, damn," was all Hal could gasp. A laugh was building in his throat. He released it, shaking upon the desk.

"Thorner?" Vada sounded cautious. "What's so funny?"

"I, I don't know, I just feel great, I feel great. That was great, Imilai. You're great."

Vada flushed darker. With a low grunt, he lifted himself to his feet. His own cock was limp, dribbling cum. Which sent a trickle of disappointment through Hal; he'd wanted to return the favor.

"You're exaggerating, virgin. You just don't know better."

"No, I think it'd be hard to top that." Hal grinned, exhausted and utterly happy. This was so unlike what he'd felt after the first time they'd fucked. None of that illicit shame. Just a buoyant joy, lightening the air between the two of them.

"Your own technique isn't too bad," Vada said after a pause, as if he were weighing his words carefully. "For a virgin."

They smirked at each other, and for the first time a flash of mutual understanding passed between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! So if you enjoyed all that concentrated depravity, feel free to leave kudos or bookmark or even share your thoughts in a comment! I don't bite, and any little bit of feedback makes my day!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another dark chapter for poor Vada, featuring some pretty heavy stuff. Hope you enjoy!

Somehow, Hal survived the rest of the week. Even though it was nonstop classes upon clases, broken up only by mealtimes and sleep, he made it through without spontaneously dropping dead as the first day of the weekend, Miraday, approached.

Three days! He would have three blessed days of freedom before the awful cycle repeated itself. Ad nauseum until he demonstrated a better score in his next exam.

_Shouldn't be too hard,_ Hal thought. _There's only way to go and that's up!_

Crazy how he ended the week almost _chipper._ But he had been improving, if slowly and fitfully, and on the last day of the school week, Archiday, he'd even managed to summon a brief, flickering flame in his Miraclism class. The most he'd been able to do in _years._

All thanks to Vada Imilai, Hal supposed.

For Vada had continued to attend extra lessons, apparently determined to turn Hal into his personal project. Whenever Hal began to feel the siren call of old habits - oh, how easy it'd be to put his head down and take a brief snooze - Vada would shout at him. Or hit him. And whenever Hal's attention began to stray toward some very minor detail such as the shape of Vada's ears or the curve of his neck, Hal would blush, remember that knee to his dick, then look away. Which usually meant he ended up focusing on the lesson.

It was a testament to how stuffed his life had become that Hal barely gave much thought to the fact that he'd had sex with Vada Imilai twice. Okay, did the second time count? It was really just a blowjob, right? But it was still a sexual activity, and Hal had done it with his nemesis.

Except he definitely didn't see Vada that way anymore. What he thought, he wasn't quite sure yet. Only that he liked having sex with Vada, and wanted to have more.

Was this what Rodmont and Cinda called "friends with benefits?" Did Hal consider Vada a friend?

Such thoughts rolled upon Hal in one big wave on Miraday, as though bursting free from the dam he'd constrained them behind all this time. They proved to be rather a big distraction, especially when the rest of the Devotees were excited for the arrival of the Ignis Saints.

The Ignis Saints were one of the myriad orders of Enforcers, and the most famous and prestigious. Nassat had been one. They would come on Contemday, the second of the weekend's three days, and their leader would give a speech and they'd demonstrate their miraculous powers before the student body.

Hal couldn't help but feel a tingle of excitement at the thought. Growing up, he and Rayton had idolized the Ignis Saints as heroes. They'd dreamed of wearing the scarlet-and-gold armor - although Hal had always had an easier time imagining Rayton as an Ignis Saint than himself. That hadn't changed, even now.

It made Hal's throat hurt to think about what Rayton must look like as an adult, so Hal shoved those old thoughts away.

Contemday arrived, and the Ryger Devotees flooded the main parade route of the platform, which was usually forbidden to Devotees. So many students came out that they couldn't all fit along the sides of the parade route; many had to hang out of balconies or lean over bridges. Hal, Cinda, and Rodmont ended up doing so, watching from above as the Ignis Saints rode their flame-unicorns toward the central square, their armor gleaming even brighter than their steeds' fiery manes and tails.

"Thelm Ruever! It's Thelm Ruever!" Cinda screamed herself silly jumping up and down and waving her arms at the man leading the parade. "And Garret too, Garret isn't bad either, oh, they're so much more handsome in real life!"

This generation, the Ignis Saints had two leaders, the twins Thelm and Garret Ruever. They rode at the head of the pack, side-by-side, identically tall and broad-shouldered and strong-jawed, with dark brown hair. The only difference was their styles; Thelm had shaved his at the sides and grew the rest down to his shoulders, while Garret's fell in waves down to his waist. Their faces were similarly intense, though Garret's kinder. He even returned a few fangirl waves, inspiring a tide of even louder shrieking.

"They're so amazing," Cinda sighed as the Ignis Saints passed from view. "Even better in real life."

"I was going to be an Enforcer because of them," Rodmont said, then shrugged. "Well, the Contemplatists are better."

How exactly did one go from Enforcement to Contemplation? It boggled Hal's mind.

Sure, the Ignis Saints were impressive, and stirred some of those old, forgotten feelings in Hal's chest, but they were tinged with an icy edge of bitterness. As expected. Hal wasn't a child anymore, with the future bright and shining before him. He understood now that Rayton's dream lay far beyond his reach, so why bother imagining himself as part of that world?

And he couldn't help but think he found Vada more admirable than Thelm and Garret. Vada wasn't loud and ostentatious; his allure was quieter, with a honed edge. Thelm and Garret commanded attention. Vada compelled it.

Hal wrapped his arms around himself, his heart pounding. Wondering when his feelings for Vada had changed to become so...so fond.

_We had sex twice. It doesn't mean anything._ But it did, and it meant something to Hal that Vada had done it the second time because he genuinely found Hal admirable.

Maybe that was what Vada meant when he talked about the virgin mindset. Hal unleashed a tremendous sigh.

"What's the matter, Hal?" Pency squeaked.

Feeling guilty, Hal squeezed the locket. Pency flapped away, giving him space.

But his thoughts hadn't had a thing to do with Rayton.

* * *

This time, the Lord Superior Hierophant had Vada tied up.

He didn't do it himself, for he rarely put his hands on Vada, but it was hard not to feel his will in every tug and yank and knot that Hierophant Mycal Shell tied. The leather straps went around Vada's arms, binding them behind his back, crossed over his chest, framing his nipples, then stretched back around to his ankles, forcing him up on his knees with his back arched. Vada bit back a hiss of protest as the position strained his shoulders and back.

Like this, he was ready for the Ignis Saints' consumption.

The Ignis Saints, who Vada had dreamed of joining since he was a boy. Thelm Ruever had even inspired Vada to devote his Miraclism studies to the creation of lightning; lightning was one of Thelm's favored attacks. But Vada knew that Thelm didn't see that starry-eyed boy, or the intense and talented Devotee, when he raked his eyes across Vada's body.

It made heat rise in his cheeks, and his markings grew darker and more prominent.

"Ah." Thelm's rich baritone rolled around the room, loud as thunder and smooth as water. "He really is a half-incubus."

"Don't be rude, dear Vada," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "Greet the Saints who have given you the privilege of a personal meeting."

"Saint Thelm Ruever." Vada bowed his head, glad to hide his face from Thelm, if only for a second. "Saint Garret Ruever. Saint Charlus Strong. Saint Kylakios Ethernin. I am truly honored to meet you."

That was every male Ignis Saint save one. All of them had come here to fuck him. It was enough to make Vada want to choke.

In his childhood, he'd imagined meeting the Ignis Saints, but usually after he impressed them in combat, or even heroically saved them from a great enemy. Not...not tied up naked and presented like a main course on a platter.

"Polite, too." Thelm chuckled. "What a beautiful voice you have, young Imilai. Quiet and subtle. I like it."

Vada's blush deepened. In truth, he hated how he struggled to speak above a whisper. He'd been a chirpy chatterbox of a child. What had happened?

Well, _this,_ for one thing. Thelm moved closer, leaning over Vada, his dark eyes shining with greed. His callused fingertips reached out, stroking a path down Vada's chest. Vada shivered, hating how he arched his back further to get closer to the touch.

Thelm's hands were so hot, almost burning against his skin. And indeed, Vada saw little red marks when Thelm moved his fingertips away. He must be using the miracle of heat...

"No," escaped his lips before he could stop himself. "Please, don't."

"Vada." The Lord Superior Hierophant's tone held a warning. Until Thelm held up his hand.

"I don't mind. I like a few protests. It's more fun to see them break that way."

The cruelty in his words raked shivers through Vada's body - yet made his cock even harder. He hated himself, _hated_ himself, for reacting like this.

"His other half is elf, yes? So I presume he has an elf's healing ability," Thelm continued. He gestured to Charlus Strong, who had the leathery skin and horns of a Burdon, and Strong slapped some long, narrow scarlet candles into Thelm's waiting hand.

Vada tried to lean back as far as his restraints could allow, but he couldn't move. Couldn't escape. "Please," he said, weak and pathetic, as Thelm lit a candle with a flick of his wrist. "Please, don't, don't."

Strong leaned forward, watching with interest in his piggy black eyes. Slender Kylakios Ethernin was already openly touching himself. But Garret Ruever averted his eyes.

Interest jumped down Vada's spine, but was quickly crushed by terror as Thelm approached, holding the lit candle.

"P-please, anything, anything else," Vada begged. Like a helpless child. He should have died from the shame of behaving this way in front of his childhood idol.

But Thelm was obviously nothing like the younger Vada had imagined, and like this, bound and naked, Vada possessed no pride whatsoever.

"Your body says otherwise," Thelm said, eyes blazing, and he reached out and squeezed Vada's cock, so hard Vada gasped from pain. His hand was still hot - the fire shot through the sensitive skin and raced all the way through Vada's veins. He hardened even more, and his breaths quickened.

"See?" Thelm chuckled. "You like a bit of heat."

He lifted the candle. A bit of red wax was dribbling from the tip. Thelm bent the candle, and Vada watched with mounting horror as the wax dripped in a coiling, twisting string down to his chest.

It landed beneath his left pectoral, a searing burst of heat that made Vada jerk against his restraints. He cried out, sharp with pain.

But it wasn't over yet. Thelm ran his finger through the wax, spreading it in a burning streak across Vada's chest. Vada gasped. "P-please - "

"Keep begging," Thelm murmured. "It really gets me hot."

He moved the candle lower, dripping wax on Vada's stomach now. Vada tossed his head back and let out a strangled shout. It hurt, it _hurt,_ but he was still getting harder, why was he getting hard from this?

Thelm dripped a trail of wax down Vada's stomach, making Vada twitch and whimper, but he stiffened and tried shuffling back - as much as he could in these restraints - when Thelm positioned the candle over Vada's half-hard, throbbing cock.

"Don't." Vada's voice rose, gaining a hysterical edge. "Please, I beg you, don't, not there, _please."_

"It's turning you on, little slut," Thelm sneered. "So don't whine."

"An-anything, you can fuck me, you can do anything else, j-just don't - "

Suddenly Thelm's hand shot out and seized Vada's chin. He tilted Vada's face up, forcing him to meet Thelm's blazing eyes. "Listen, kid," Thelm hissed, his breaths hot against Vada's skin, "do you understand the position you're in? You're being graded on your performance. If I'm really impressed, I'll put you on the fast track for a position in the Ignis Saints after you graduate. Understand?"

Vada couldn't speak. Cold sweat prickled his skin. Yes, he understood now. This man held his future in his hands.

_What future?_ a dark, bitter part of Vada thought. _It's just going to be more of this, except you'll be the Ignis Saints' toy, not the Hierophants'..._

But a stronger part of him, that silly childhood voice that had never died, pictured himself in the red-and-gold armor, cape billowing behind him, slaughtering enemies with Dark Star and Xargo by his side, earning the adulation of All the Nations Under the Angel's Arms. And more than that, earning the eternal love of the Angel Themself.

If, if this would help him, even the _slightest_ amount -

Vada jerked his head in a nod. He didn't trust himself to speak.

Smirking, Thelm let go, patted his cheek, then bent down over Vada's cock. He lowered the candle, and the first glob of wax fell onto Vada's balls.

Vada hissed, arched his back. Tears pricked his eyes. The pain, the pain was unreal - but so was the pleasure. He stiffened even further, the heat from the wax sinking through his skin, and he writhed harder when Thelm dripped some more wax onto the twitching, already-wet head of his cock.

"Mm, mm, no, no," Vada gasped, jerking against the restraints. "No, stop - "

"Keep begging," Thelm said, dark and savage. "It's all you can do, isn't it, pretty incubus-elf?"

_No, I'm more than that, I'm more than what I was born as or who my parents were, I'm my own self, I'm what I choose to be -_ but the protests were weak, forceless, easily swept aside. The tears came harder, and he sobbed when more wax dribbled onto his cock, searing hot.

Thelm would never listen. Nobody would. Not when they only saw an incubus, a slut who lived for sex, when they looked at him. Was it even possible to rape an incubus? Once the Lord Superior Hierophant had called _him_ the rapist, for it was his pheromones that drove other people insane, made them do things they never would usually do.

Except - except one person had listened. Hadn't acted following his base lusts, had resisted the pheromones. Vada remembered Hallert Thorner laughing so brightly and freely after their last encounter, and the tears came harder and faster.

"Please, please, I can't, I can't take anymore," he pleaded, as Thelm concentrated on dripping lazy ribbons of wax between his thighs. The sensitive skin burned, the pain building to a crescendo until a scream swelled in his throat, gaining force until he feared he'd let it loose, and even now, in the throes of such agony and humiliation, he didn't want to unleash it. Didn't want to debase himself further.

And it didn't matter because his cock was jumping and leaping madly, encased by all that burning wax, and the heat from all over his body was pulsating through it, making it harder and harder. Vada felt the first waves of his orgasm descend upon him, and he thrashed harder, desperately trying to get back, to get away from Thelm, to _avoid it -_

Why did he always, _always_ cum? No matter what they did to him, his body couldn't resist. All his self-control crumbled to nothing. Maybe in some secret part deep inside, he really did enjoy this. He really was as much of a slut as they believed him to be. He sobbed, biting his lip, as his orgasm struck him in one ferocious blow.

He would have collapsed flat on the desk, but the restraints kept him upright. Cum spilled onto his stomach, hotter than the rapidly cooling wax. He tasted blood in his mouth.

Thelm bent over him, wearing an expression of utter delight. Like a child who'd just been told he could have all the candy he wanted. "Wow, the Lord Superior Hierophant is right. There _are_ no limits to your sluttiness."

Vada moved his lips, but he didn't know what he wanted to say. Didn't know how to defend himself when the proof was right there for everyone to see.

Smirking, Thelm swiped his hand through the cum, smearing it across Vada's stomach. Then his hand moved down, to the wax encasing his cock, and he peeled it off. Vada cried out at the pain of the wax ripping away from his tender skin. Skin that was burned bright red, and so sensitive that even the light brush of Thelm's fingers upon it made him stiffen. In more places than one.

Thelm's eyes gleamed. "Getting hard again?"

Vada shook his head wildly, though what he was trying to deny he had no idea. Thelm laughed, then continued stroking Vada's cock with just his fingertips...

But little electric tingles were running through Vada's cock everywhere Thelm touched, and when he cracked his eyes open he saw tiny arcs of blue lightning between Thelm's fingers. Thelm smirked, stroked harder.

"I've heard that you're an expert at lightning miracles. Did you know that lightning can do _this?"_

He squeezed Vada's cock. The electricity intensified, and Vada screamed aloud at the searing pain. But the pain left behind a tingling, crawling sensation that made his entire body exquisitely sensitive.

Thelm leaned forward and took a nipple in his mouth, licking with his tongue - and the same crackling sensation arrested the tender bud. Vada gasped sharply.

Now Thelm was stroking his chest, leaving behind electrical tingles everywhere he touched. It was driving Vada insane. The pain, the pleasure, all of it intertwining in Vada's head until he wasn't sure which was which, and was there even a difference? Everything was pleasure to an incubus.

_"St, sto - aaaahhh - "_ His voice vanished in a rising scream as Thelm drove his fingers into Vada's inner thighs, pushing them apart.

Exposing his asshole. A delicate touch to the quivering skin around his entrance sent a spark through his entire body. More touches, and Vada grew harder and the pain intensified.

"No, no, no," he moaned, panted, whimpered. "I can't - there's no way - "

"You want to know the first rule of the Ignis Saints, Vada Imilai?" Thelm murmured, sliding two fingers into Vada's asshole. " _Never say never."_

" _No, please - "_ The pain was too much, it was inside him now, searing through his wet inner walls and spreading through all of his organs. Painful, tender, tingling, itching. He couldn't take it. He thrashed, tossed his head back and forth, tried to pull away from Thelm's grasping, groping fingers, but Thelm just kept digging deeper and deeper...

Until he hit Vada's prostate.

Nothing, _nothing_ else compared. The spark that jumped through the soft tissue set his entire body on fire from the inside. Vada screamed. His vision momentarily blacked out. And he was coming, his cock gushing semen as it jumped and danced.

Thelm pressed Vada's prostate once, twice, three more times, wringing more and more cum from his cock, and Vada was openly sobbing now, saliva dripping from his lips, a pathetic wreck inside and out. _"St-stop, no more, I don't w-want..."_

"Your cock's telling a different story," Thelm said, his voice velvety smooth. "And we haven't even reached the main event."

Vada's eyes widened in horror as Thelm climbed onto the desk and unleashed his own massive cock, bulging with veins and crackling with electricity. He...he was going to fuck Vada with that.

_No, no, no._ The fingers had been torture enough. How was Vada going to handle an entire cock inside him, electrifying him?

He tried to shuffle backwards but couldn't move at all. Not before Thelm grabbed his thighs, pushed him forward, then speared him in one ferocious thrust.

Vada screamed, high and strangled. The thrust was so long and deep that it hit his prostate and the fire was spreading through his body again, setting his organs, his nerves, his veins, his muscles, on fire. The pain made him blubber and wail. His vision flashed before dimming.

_"H-help,"_ he was aware of gasping, one last pathetic cry, " _help me, Mother..."_

And then there was nothing.

* * *

When Vada awoke, his head was pounding. His throat felt dry, squeezed tight. He tried to move, but his limbs didn't seem to want to listen to his brain.

"It's all right. Take it easy."

That rich baritone struck Vada in the heart. Instantly he recoiled, trying to get as far away as possible when he could barely move.

"It's okay, it's okay." The source of the voice came within Vada's vision. A tall, handsome man with brown hair - but his was long and flowed to his waist. Not Thelm, but Garret Ruever.

Vada blinked hard, forcing his vision to adjust. He was still lying on the table, but the restraints were gone. His own cape had been draped over him, hiding his nakedness. The wall crystals were dimmed, he noticed, and there was nobody else around save Garret.

"What...what happened?"

"You passed out." Garret shook his head. "My brother went too far. I'm sorry."

Vada pulled himself upright, drawing the cape around him. His head was still throbbing. His cock felt tender and sore, as did his insides. He didn't want to look to see the damage.

"Listen, uh..." Garret turned toward Vada now, his expression urgent. "I'll make this up to you, somehow. When you're in the Ignis Saints, I'll make sure you're never assigned with Thelm, okay?"

Vada stared at Garret, numb, uncomprehending. Then the words sank in, penetrating the morass of his mind, and an emotion leaped in his chest.

_Rage._

Vada leaped to his feet, dropping the cape, and called the miraculous energy of the Nine-Armed One and lashed out at Garret with a bolt of white-hot lightning. Garret lunged backward, then easily countered with an invisible shield. His own manipulation of miraculous energy.

Vada had only had that one attack in him. He stumbled, then fell to his knees, breathing hard.

"Hey." Garret sank down to a crouch before Vada. "Don't strain yourself. What - what was that all about? I'm trying to help you."

"You," Vada hissed through clenched teeth, glaring at Garret's stupid handsome face so much like Thelm's, "you _fucking hypocrite."_

Garret flinched like he'd been slapped.

"Oh, you're acting all kind and helpful now, but where were you _when_ he was doing it?"

"I told him to stop," Garret said weakly. "He did stop. After you passed out."

Vada laughed, high and harsh and without any humor. His head felt like it was splitting. "And why in the name of the Angel do you think I _need_ your help? I don't! I'm not some innocent blushing maiden. I'm an incubus. No matter what it is, I can handle it."

"You couldn't handle what my brother did - "

Vada forced himself to speak over Garret. "Don't pretend to be so concerned. I know your type. You're a man with a savior complex, aren't you? Always have to rush in to protect the maiden."

He forced himself to his feet, forced himself to glide toward Garret even though all he wanted to do was collapse in exhaustion. He pressed his naked body to Garret's, vaguely noticing that the burns were nearly gone, aside from faint patches of pinkish skin. He traced the grooves of Garret's armor with a finger, leaned his head up and breathed into Garret's ear.

"You want to _rescue_ me. It's just another tactic for getting into my pants. Well, I'm going to tell you right here and now that you don't need to go so far. If you want to fuck, I'll do it." Another head-splitting laugh. "It's what I live for."

"Imi...Imilai," Garret croaked. His face was very red indeed, and slick with sweat. He gulped, his throat visibly jumping.

What was Vada doing? He didn't know, didn't care. All he knew was that he absolutely _could not_ have this man's pity, and he knew this man's pity wasn't genuine anyway. Over the years he'd met his share of men who felt sorry for him, or wanted to be kind to him. They were no different from the cruel ones, if not even worse.

Hallert Thorner wasn't like that - didn't cover his attraction with chivalry. He didn't try to cover it, yet he didn't act on it either. What kind of man did that?

Truly an idiot virgin, that boy was.

Slowly, Garret's hands moved. They rested by Vada's sides. They were still covered with armor, cool against his skin. Good. He didn't want to feel heat for a long, long time.

"Take it off," Vada breathed, tracing Garret's chestpiece. "Let it go. You don't have to be a perfect hero. You can give in to your basest desires..."

Had his father done this to his mother, he wondered? Had he seduced her with pretty words and false lies and empty promises just like this? Vada would never know.

The hands around his waist tightened. Garret muttered, "The flame never dies." His armor glowed gold and retracted.

Garret pushed Vada closer to him. Laughing, Vada grabbed for Garret's pants, drew out his already hard and throbbing cock. He busied himself stroking and pumping it, almost enjoying the familiar sensation of a cock pulsing in his hands.

At least now, he was in control.

"Imilai, I swear," Garret panted, "when you are one of us, I will, I will do my best to help you - "

"You'll keep me by your side, won't you?" Vada said, smirking up at Garret through his eyelashes.

"Yes." Something in Garret's face hardened, making it resemble his twin's more. "I will not let you go."

His hand tightened in Vada's hair and tugged. Vada gasped in pain as Garret pulled his head back, exposing his pulsing throat. Then Garret bent down and noisily, hungrily attacked the pale skin, biting and sucking and licking and leaving behind a trail of marks. He moved down and down, planting a kiss on Vada's collarbone, then lower, licking his nipple, still sensitive from the electricity earlier...

"Hurry," Vada moaned, hating that he didn't even have to fake most of his pleasure. "Inside."

He didn't know when the others would come back, after all. Best make this quick.

Garret's hand found his thigh. Gripped it hard. Then pushed it aside, revealing Vada's slick, twitching opening.

Unlike his brother, Garret didn't bother teasing Vada. He pulled Vada closer, lowered Vada down over him, and just like that Vada felt his thick, meaty cock pushing open his insides, spreading him wide open. A familiar feeling. Vada gasped against Garret's chest.

"Mine," Garret growled, his hands tight around Vada's waist. "You belong to _me."_

The kind ones were always secretly possessive. "Of course," Vada breathed against Garret's shoulder. "Yours, all yours."

"I don't want you to be anyone else's, least of all my brother's." Garret's eyes roiled with fire. He flexed his thighs and thrust deep inside Vada, hitting Vada's prostate. "Understand? I will not hand you to anyone else."

"I'll do my best, Saint Garret," Vada gasped as the hands around his waist tightened and then lifted him. Garret obviously didn't want Vada to do any of the work here. The kind ones liked him passive, too.

"What do you mean _do your best?_ You _will!_ Promise me!"

"I, I, ah, _ahh,"_ as another hard thrust hit his prostate. "I'm an incubus, it's m-my nature to - "

"I don't care. You, belong, to, _me."_ Garret punctuated each word with a ferocious thrust, driving all thought from Vada's mind. "You _will_ be loyal to me or I _will_ punish you."

"Punish me?" Vada whispered, syrupy sweet. "Now I'm fascinated."

"Whore," Garret hissed, forcing Vada down harder than ever before. Vada let loose a strangled cry. "I'll straighten you out, I'll make you spread your legs for one person and one person only."

"Yes, yes, Saint Garret, for you - _all for you_ \- "

Vada tossed his head back and laughed as Garret came, flooding his insides with slick, hot cum. Such a nice, familiar sensation in contrast to the sheer terror of the blazing electricity. His laugh rose and rose and rose until he wasn't sure if he was laughing or crying anymore, not that it mattered.

For the rest of his life, it would be like this. It would always be like this.

Kindness was just a front for sexual attraction. Sex was the best, the most, Vada could ever give to another person.

And he'd have it no other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! Every little bit of feedback makes my day.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a quieter, calmer chapter. Though it won't last!

The Ignis Saints departed campus with as much ceremony as they'd arrived, and another week rolled by.

At the end of this week, the Offensive Miraclism teacher would be giving a quiz. The prospect made Hal sweat and fret, which was not usually how he greeted quizzes. Usually he went into them carefree and determined to enjoy himself during the hour, because after all his quiz would return to him with a big fat 0 either way.

Now, though, Hal actually _wanted_ to try. Or rather, _needed_ to try, if he wanted Vada Imilai off his case. Maybe if he aced this quiz, he could even cut back on his load of extra lessons.

And - though Hal had a difficult time admitting this even to himself - he foolishly wanted to impress Vada.

Why? Since when had Hal started to care so much about what that jerk thought about him? Having sex with a person couldn't change his opinion to _this_ extent.

Such was the power of the virgin mindset, Hal supposed.

Hal walked into the quiz with his heart pounding, and it did not help that Pency was sitting on his shoulder, radiating a cloud of nervousness that resonated with Hal's own and made him doubly nervous. As he took his seat, he felt like a man about to face his execution.

This quiz was half written, and half practical, just like that all-Centarium exam Hal had failed. The exam that had started it all. To Hal's relief, he was able to come up with a decent-sounding answer to each of the written questions, though some of them still made his head spin. And during the practical exam, when they were to demonstrate fire, Hal _did_ create a flame - if only for a flash of a moment. But the teacher had seen it. He'd heard her gasp.

When his score arrived the next Fashday, the first day of the school week, Hal's jaw dropped in disbelief. He'd scored...he'd scored a fifty-six. A passing score, just barely.

Hal walked to extra lessons with his head high and an extra spring in his step.

Vada was there, to Hal's surprise; he'd stopped attending the extra lessons this past week, apparently returning to his normal after-class activities. Even without his presence, Hal had applied himself. Well, about half of the time. Which was still better than zero.

"Imilai! Imilai!" Hal broke into a run, waving his quiz. He hadn't felt this giddy in a long time, maybe even back when Rayton had been alive. "Look, look what I got!"

"Hmm?" Vada had been talking to one of his followers, but now he turned in Hal's direction. "What are you doing, Thorner? Don't run - ah!"

As Hal shoved the quiz into Vada's face. Which wasn't very elegant, but Hal was just that excited. "Look! Look at my score!"

Vada frowned a little bit. "Fifty-six?" The frown transformed into a sneer. "Really, Thorner? You're proud of _that_ kind of score?"

Hal would never admit it, but it was like a knife had twisted between his ribs. "W-well," he sputtered. "It's better than a zero!"

"Indeed, it is a marked improvement." Now the sneer transformed into a small smile, so slight it was barely than a slight upward quirk of Vada's lips - but Hal saw it anyway. And it made his heart soar. "Keep working hard, Thorner. You're doing well."

With that, he stepped forward and slapped Hal's shoulder, as he would an equal. Hal grinned so wide his face hurt.

He fell in step beside Vada as they walked into the classroom. Vada's followers did not appear particularly happy with this arrangement, but that made Hal like it more.

"I just don't understand," Vada said, "why if you can obviously improve when you make the effort, you've never bothered to make an effort before. What are you even _doing_ at the Centarium if you're not willing to work?"

Hal chewed the inside of his cheek, not wanting to admit that he didn't have a good answer. _It's too hard_ was his go-to answer, but if so, why didn't he just up and leave?

He gripped the locket, thinking of Rayton, Rayton standing upon the plains of Rusaida and confidently declaring that he was going to be the next Chosen One.

"Thorner?" Vada's voice snapped Hal back to reality. Right, he'd asked Hal a question...

"It just wasn't anything like I expected," Hal said without thinking. "The Centarium."

"Of course not," Vada said. "When you're a child, you think that the life of a Devotee and Saint is one of constant thrill and adventure. You don't realize the drudgery that goes into actually fulfilling the dream."

Hal wanted to protest. It was more complex than that for him, but in what way exactly? He'd never given it much thought. It just _was._

"I'm glad you're learning, Thorner." Now Vada turned toward Hal with that small smile on his face, and it made Hal's heart throb. "Keep improving."

Right, but for whose sake did Hal want to improve? Not his own, surely. Else he would have tried a long time ago. Not Rayton's either, for the same reasons.

For Vada? Heat crawled into Hal's face. Why did he care what Mr. Perfect thought about his performance?

_Because it means more sex in the future?_ some dark voice inside Hal suggested. Hal forced the voice far, far away.

No, because he liked Vada's smile. He liked Vada treating him like an equal instead of like some giant wart on the perfect face of the Centarium. But in the end, why did he care about Vada's smile or treatment of him unless to some extent, he actually cared about Vada?

No, he didn't - _he didn't._ He'd promised Rayton. Just one of a million promises he'd made to a dead boy, but it didn't matter. Rayton was the first to hold his heart, and would be the last. Except Hal's feelings for Vada weren't romantic, not in the slightest. Just because he'd had sex with the guy twice, that didn't mean anything. Just because he wanted Vada to think well of him -

Oh, this was so, so difficult.

Funny how Hal had been so delighted to show his score to Vada. Now he walked into extra lessons feeling like he was walking into his own funeral.

* * *

The day was over, and Vada retreated to his quarters. His sanctuary. Really the one place in the entire Centarium where he felt safe.

He occupied a suite of chambers in the building the students had named the Scarlet Mansion, due to the color the white marble turned when the last rays of the setting sun fell upon it. Vada had decorated his quarters to suit his own taste, which meant he'd painted the walls black and kept the furniture sparse and simple. A collection of the trophies and awards he'd earned in his nine years at the Centarium gleamed inside a glass display case, and he'd put up a specially-Fashioned question-answering mirror on the wall.

The instant Vada went inside, Xargo slinked over to his side, and Vada stroked the night-dragon's velvety scales. If only he could spend the evening by himself with Xargo, lost in thought. Allowing himself to give in and _feel_ everything instead of marching relentlessly through the day.

However, Vada had promised his companions that he'd host a study session in his quarters tonight. As ninth years, everyone was worried for their impending graduation exam. The all-Centarium exam had been but a preview of the rigors they'd go through during that final test which would transform them from Devotees to Saints. Everyone especially whispered about the section that involved confronting their worst fears. Past graduates were forbidden by Recorder-miracle from speaking of it, which only built up more rumors about it amidst the student body.

_His worst fears._ Vada wondered what that would look like for him. More sexual degradation, perhaps. But he already suspected that he wasn't going to have an ordinary graduation exam.

The rest of this lot were going to, however, and their anxiety was palpable in the air. As was their annoyance.

"I just don't get why you're wasting time with those stupid extra lessons," complained Rhys Feyler, one of the best Enforcer duelists second only to Vada. "It's not like you're accomplishing anything of worth in them."

"Is it just about Thorner? Who cares, he's been shit from the very beginning," said Elairya Luminasca, a willowy elf with a particular talent for Contemplation. "You don't have to bother with him."

"That may be so," Vada said, keeping his tone severe, "but I believe that as a Devotee-in-Command, it's my duty to help the other students. _And_ to rectify anything that might bring shame to the Centarium."

"It's just not _fair,"_ burst out Elairya. "That idiot slacker is so totally beneath your notice. Why do you have to bend yourself backwards for him?"

"It's not bending over backwards. It's my duty."

"Oh, Vada." Elairya's eyes sparkled. The others wore similar expressions of admiration.

Which, as always, made Vada uncomfortable. _Would you look at me with those eyes if you knew what I really was?_ If they'd seen him seduce Garret Ruever, cry and plead and beg for mercy from Thelm Ruever?

That was why he couldn't call them friends, even if they were always by his side. He didn't trust them enough to share his deepest secret with them. And he never would.

Yet Thorner had found out. Entirely by accident, of course, but it tied him to Vada whether Vada liked it or not. More than that, Thorner's behavior confounded Vada. He was attracted, that much was clear, but he tried his best to ignore Vada instead of ogling him, and never once asked for sex again. The second time, Vada had been showing his gratitude at what he assumed was an unusual occurrence, but then Thorner continued not to proposition him, and slowly it dawned on Vada that Thorner _wasn't going to._ Which was insane, because Thorner obviously wanted to.

What could Vada do about it? What could he think about it? He'd never met anyone like Thorner before. The only other person who knew and didn't act on it was his mother, and that was on account of being his _mother._

"Still, you don't have to try to tutor Thorner personally," said Rhys. "One of us could take your place."

"I've not been tutoring Thorner personally," Vada said. "I've just been making sure that he's attending extra lessons. And it has been working. His scores have improved."

"Yeah, now he can get a fifty-six instead of one," snickered Elairya.

"He was so excited about it, poor thing." This was Corbin Raisthi, a very tall, gray-skinned Crinari. " _Imilai! Imilai! Lookit my score!"_

The others burst into raucous laughter. But Vada's insides had gone cold. Seeing Thorner's happiness, his bright enthusiasm, had made Vada's heart swoop in a most unusual way. He'd rarely ever met anyone who could be happy in such a guileless manner. It had reminded him of that time earlier, when Thorner had laughed after the blowjob as if it had been the most joyous occasion in the world, and not just another blowjob.

"I guess it's better to be a partial failure than a complete one, huh?" Rhys chortled, wiping a tear from his eye. "What a loser."

"Enough." Vada stood up, his cape unfurling. Beside him, Xargo sensed his mood and raised his hackles, letting out a low growl. "You should be ashamed of yourselves, making fun of an underclassman like this."

"Oh, come on, Vada. Don't you think he looked like a loser?" Rhys said. "I can't believe you put up with him."

"I said enough. We didn't come here to gossip, we came here to study."

"All right, all right." The others exchanged glances, but Vada could still see the discontentment in their expressions. He bit back a scowl and leaned over the study materials spread out across the table.

"We'll begin with a review of Architecturalism. We'll work on problems 1A, 2B, and 3A for fifteen minutes. When time is up, we'll reconvene and discuss. Any objections? Let's get to work."

* * *

Hal hummed as he walked to class, Pency bobbing on his shoulder. It was a bright, sunny day and Hal was looking forward to his Offensive Miraclism class. He couldn't wait to show his classmates that he could now sustain a flame for fifteen seconds.

Okay, seventh years were supposed to be able to make flames last for much longer than that, but still, it was something besides smoke! Truly an accomplishment.

"Hal, you've really changed," squeaked Pency, brushing her wing against Hal's cheek. "Since when did you start to enjoy school?"

Since when indeed? Since when had this place stopped seeming like a hellhole, a trap where he'd waste nine years with nothing gained except for a minor-dragon companion and maybe a couple of fair-weather friendships? But now Hal was finally beginning to see results to his work, and he actually felt motivated to work. For himself, not a phantom dream of a long-dead boy.

Or maybe it wasn't wholly for himself. Hal thought of Vada's full lips, flushed pink and slightly parted, of Vada's heaving chest, of Vada's hips raised and moving against his own. And he blushed, hard.

"Hal? Your face is all hot," Pency said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Hal walked faster. He ducked into a narrow alley between two buildings, a shortcut to his first class -

And somebody materialized in front of him.

An elf girl, with long golden hair and a willowy build. And fury blazing in her green eyes. Hal whirled. Behind him, a boy had appeared, a thickset human.

Hal vaguely recognized them as two of Vada's hangers-on. Foreboding trickled down his spine.

Hal moved to the side, prepared to scamper up the building, but he looked up and saw another one of Vada's minions, a particularly tall Crinari, leaning down a balcony. More and more of them showed up as Hal swept his eyes around. The foreboding transformed into a sickening dread.

"Hey, guys," Hal said, holding up his hands. "You're kind of in the way. I've got to get to class."

"Since when did you care about going to class, loser?" the elf girl sneered, marching closer.

"Come on, I'll be late." Damn him, but a whine slid into his voice. "You guys, too, right? Aren't you wasting your time here?"

"The only person who's wasting time is you," hissed the thickset boy. "Wasting _Vada's_ time."

_Oh._ Realization crashed upon Hal like a wave. "I see what this all about. You're _jealous._ Don't worry, I'm not Vada's type."

Although that hadn't stopped Vada from sleeping with him, twice. Not that Hal was going to mention it to this crowd.

The elf girl leaned forward, her eyes flashing. She gestured, and suddenly Hal was floating in the air, spread-eagled. Both Hal and Pency screamed. Hal rose and rose and rose. She was using a Contemplatist power to levitate him; judging by the gray ribbon on her jacket, Contemplation was one of her Three Arms. _Shit._

The girl made Hal spin a few circles, then slammed him back down onto the ground. Hard. The impact jarred each and every one of Hal's bones. Pency began to wail.

"You'll stop wasting Vada's time, loser failure," the girl said, her face twisting and rather marring her perfect beauty.

"We're just looking out for him," said the thickset human boy, who had put on his Enforcer armor - all shining white steel and blue diamonds. His sword gleamed offensively bright in the sunlight. "Oh, can someone shut this stupid thing up?"

Hal cried out as the boy snatched Pency off Hal's shoulder. Pency tried her best to remain stuck, but the boy was pulling too hard. With a sick squelching sound, her suckers detached from Hal and the boy punted her over his shoulder.

Hal bolted upright. _"Pency!"_

Shit, he had to do something - had to fight back. _They'd hurt Pency._ "You assholes, don't you have anything better to do?" he growled, scanning for an opening. Anything.

But these were accomplished ninth years, and Hal was a loser failure. No, not completely. He was a warrior, unlike these kids.

So when the Enforcer boy swung his sword, Hal was already ready. He danced out of the way of the blow, then dropped down to the ground and kicked out, catching the boy in the ankles. The boy crumpled to his knees. Enraged, he swiped his sword, and Hal ducked again -

But the girl was ready for him. She lifted her hand and Hal flew off his feet and crashed into the wall, driving all the breath from his lungs.

Another swipe sent him crashing into the opposite wall. Damn, he couldn't fight her Contemplatist powers. The Crinari on the balcony flicked his sleeves, and dozens of fat, squirming green grubs rained down upon Hal. Hal bellowed, kicking and writhing, as they crawled all over him. And as they did so, they secreted a mucus that to his horror began to eat holes through his clothes.

"We'll see you go to class when you're naked," said the Crinari boy, chortling.

"Seriously, what the hell is _wrong_ with you assholes?" Hal screamed. "How old _are_ you?"

The Enforcer boy silenced him with a punch to the face. Hal tasted blood in his mouth.

He tried to kick out, but couldn't move when the Contemplatist girl was still holding him in place. The Enforcer boy's next blow hit him in the stomach. Hal groaned in pain.

He was nearly naked, pinned like a butterfly, and helpless before the boy's blows. He really had never been in a worse situation in all his time in the Centarium.

Then a shadow fell over the alley. And a familiar whisper, now harsh with fury, carried to his ears.

_"What in the name of the Angel is going on here?"_

Instantly the pressure holding Hal to the wall disappeared. Hal slid to the floor, gasping in pain. All heads turned as Vada Imilai marched into the alley.

Hal had never seen Vada so angry before, not even the time they'd gotten into their fight. His golden eyes roiled like twin coronas, and his shoulders were trembling, making his dumb cape flap back and forth. Xargo slinked by his side, snarling, and - Hal blinked - Pency rested on top of Vada's crown of spikes.

"I asked, what is going on here?" Vada snapped again, glaring at each and every one of his minions.

"Vada, it's not, it's not what you think," said the Contemplatist girl.

"He attacked first. We were defending ourselves," said the Enforcer boy.

"That's a lie!" shrieked Pency.

"Oh, yes, I see. That makes perfect sense." Vada's voice was caustic. "All of you need to work together and use your powers to defeat this _loser."_

He bit out the last word, and it hit Hal like a blow. Since when did he care what Vada thought of him? Not too long ago, he'd have taken pride in being called a loser.

"He, he hit me," said the Enforcer boy, almost a whine.

"Rhys, come over here."

"Uh, sure?" Rhys stepped closer.

Vada's hand swiped out. Rhys stumbled to the side.

"Go to class," Vada said. "All of you. _Now!"_

"But Vada," protested the Contemplatist girl.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves." Vada glowered at her. "This behavior dishonors the Centarium and the Nine-Armed One Themself. As upperclassmen, your duty is to help your underclassmen, not bully them. _Is that understood?"_

"Come on, who cares about Thorner?" Rhys whined.

Vada punched him again, harder. The crack of bone on bone echoed down the alley.

"We are all Devotees beneath Ghestruel's Divine Protection. We all have our obligations to each other. If you don't understand that, then maybe you don't deserve to wear those uniforms!"

Hal had never been particularly impressed by Vada's speechifying and pontificating before, but now he clung on to every word. Seeing Vada like this, terrible in his fury yet fierce in his conviction, made Hal really believe that he represented the will of Ghestruel Themself. That he could really be the Chosen One.

"Sorry, we're sorry, Vada," said the Crinari boy, already ducking back inside the building. "We'll leave now, okay? We'll leave, guys."

The elf girl and Rhys left last, casting reluctant glances at Vada, who glared harder at them. Then they broke into runs.

The instant they left, Pency detached from Vada's head and flapped over to Hal, and proceeded to beat his face with her wings. "Oh, Hal, Hal, I was so worried, oh Hal I'm so glad you're all right, oh Hal - "

"Okay, okay, enough." Hal swiped madly at the air, but kept missing Pency. "Stop, Pency! That hurts!"

A low growl from Xargo made Pency finally back off. Vada glanced at the two companion beasts. "Apologies, but I'd like to have a moment alone with Thorner. If I may?" He addressed this at Pency.

"Of course, of course! Thank you so much, Vada, thank you for helping Hal!" Sobbing, Pency landed on top of Xargo's head and the two of them left.

Once again, Hal was alone with Vada.

And Hal became aware that he was butt naked.

"Er." Blushing, Hal covered himself with his hands. Then to his surprise, Vada swung his cape off and draped it over Hal.

"Thanks, man," Hal said, wrapping the cape around himself as he stood up. It was quite large, and surprisingly soft. It smelled faintly of Vada, like plums. Hal tried and failed to fight the rising heat in his face.

"I'm sorry." Vada shook his head. His spikes shook too. "I really...I can't apologize enough. I had no idea they would do that."

"It's okay, man," Hal said. "They were just, uh, looking out for you?"

"They were behaving selfishly." Vada's voice was bitter. "Some of the best Devotees in the Centarium, and they can't see that it's their duty to _help,_ not to judge and belittle."

"Imilai," Hal said, his head spinning.

"I really am...I really am sorry." Vada stepped closer to Hal, and as he did his scent intensified, rolling in waves toward Hal. Hal strained not to breathe through his nose. "I should have realized what they had in mind. Last night, they were already upset enough that I was devoting my time to helping you..."

"Why," Hal burst out, "why are you? That's what I don't get."

"It's as I said. It's my duty." Vada gazed down at Hal. The fires in his eyes had calmed down, and now they were softer, gentler, more like liquid gold. Hal swallowed, sweat pricking the back of his net. He was acutely aware that only the thin material of the cape separated his body from Vada.

Then Vada reached out and brushed his hand along Hal's jaw, tracing its angles. Lower, to his pulsing throat. Then to his exposed collarbone.

"H-hey," Hal began.

"I'll make this up to you, Thorner," Vada murmured, watching Hal through half-closed eyes. "I promise. After class, I'll find you."

"It's okay, man," Hal babbled. "You don't have to."

Vada's eyes snapped fully open. "Of course I do."

"It's not your fault. You can't control what those jerks do."

"I still feel responsible. Please, Thorner." The hand stroked Hal's shoulder, leaving behind stinging fires in its wake. His voice became low, smoky. "Don't you want this too?"

"Well, I do, but - but do you?" The question flew from Hal before he could stop himself.

"What do you mean?" Vada blinked. "Of course I do."

"I mean, I don't know." The words tumbled over each other in their haste to get out. "That time before, too, you seemed to be treating sex like, like a reward or an obligation or whatever. Not like something you do for fun. Do you actually like sex, Imilai? Or is it just something you do for other people?"

Vada's face hardened. "My, the virgin is an expert."

"I mean, I just don't get the impression from you that you think sex is fun."

"It's fun for you, isn't it?" By now, Vada's expression had transformed into a glare.

"So it's okay if you don't enjoy it?"

"Of course I enjoy it." Vada rolled his eyes. "Didn't you see me cum? Stupid virgin."

"There's a difference between your body's physiological reactions and what's going on in your mind."

"You really did pay attention during health class. I'm sure you'll earn a hundred points on that quiz."

Hal was fuming now, the heat from his lust rapidly transforming into anger. "Imilai, I'm being serious."

"You're being a virgin is what." To Hal's shock, Vada flicked him on the forehead. Rather painfully. "I will reward you, you have my word."

"I don't want it to be a reward," Hal protested. "I want you to have sex with me because you actually want to."

There. He'd said it, what had been percolating in his mind all this time, every time he snuck a glance at Vada or remembered their previous encounters or touched himself. He was breathing hard, red from embarrassment.

It did not help that Vada's only reaction was to look annoyed. "Well, I do. Now, you'll be late for class, but you should go to your room and get changed. I'll come back for you after extra lessons." He reached out, gave the cape a tug. "This is insurance."

Then to Hal's great shock, he reached beneath the cape and gave Hal's dick a firm squeeze. Tears burst into Hal's eyes, and pleasure leaped in his stomach. Vada smirked.

"Already hard, are you, virgin? I suppose you had better take care of that problem too."

Snickering to himself, he turned heel and marched away. Even flicked his hand as if trying to flick the cape that he no longer was wearing. That idiot show-off. Sure knew how to make both a dramatic entrance and exit.

When Pency came back for Hal, Hal collapsed against the wall and sighed up at the bright blue sky. The first bell was already ringing.

He really didn't feel like going to class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the bookmarks, kudos, and comments so far! All of it encourages me like nothing else!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice double-dose of dirtiness in this chapter! Well, one scene is much nicer than the other.

Hal didn't end up going to class, though he dutifully reported to extra lessons. His heart wasn't in it, though. His body still ached from all the punches and Contemplatist manipulation, and his mind was still turning over everything Vada had said to him.

As he made his way back to his dorm, Vada intercepted him on a bridge. The same one as he had the night of the blowjob.

"Really tired," Hal said. "Not in the mood."

"Too bad," Vada said. "Give me back my cape."

Hal had folded the thing up and stashed it in his bag, though not after putting it on and strutting in front of his room mirror for a while. Thank everything only Pency had been there to see him step on the hem and fall flat on his face.

"This thing is so dumb," Hal said as he gave the folded cape to Vada. "Even you can't make it look not completely ridiculous."

Vada's eyebrow twitched. Then he smirked and lowered his voice to a seductive whisper. "How would you like me to look?"

"Wear a normal uniform," Hal said.

He walked on ahead, but Vada sidled in his way. He reached out, his fingertips skimming Hal's jaw. The touch sent electrical sparks through Hal's entire body.

But rather than lean into the touch, Hal pushed Vada's arm aside and kept walking. Though he only got as far as one step before Vada was in front of him again.

"Don't," Vada breathed, bending down, his face mere inches from Hal's. "Don't resist. Don't be chivalrous. Give in."

"It's not about chivalry," Hal said grumpily. "It's about not being in the mood."

"I'm an incubus. You can't be not in the mood." Vada moved his arms around Hal's back, his fingertips dancing up and down Hal's spine.

"Well, I'm not, because I don't like having sex with someone who doesn't enjoy it himself," Hal declared.

"I _do_ enjoy it. I enjoy making my partners feel good." Vada leaned even closer, resting his chin on the crook of Hal's neck. All Hal could breathe was his plum scent, and it was making Hal's head spin and swirl. And worse, doing horrible things to his already minuscule self-control. He could sense it cracking already.

"Doesn't this," Vada breathed into Hal's ear, "feel good? Don't you want more of this?"

"Ah, I do," Hal squeaked.

"Then give in. Give it to me..." A tongue traced the shell of Hal's ear. Hal's heart throbbed and throbbed.

Yeah, why would it be so bad if he gave in? So what if Vada only viewed sex as an obligation? He seemed to enjoy it, anyway. What did Hal want from him, anyway? To say that he loved Hal? Ridiculous. Love didn't need to exist for sex to happen.

Even so, Hal couldn't help but think that this wasn't anything like what Rodmont and Cinda had, either. They liked each other, and they liked the sex because it was fun for both of them. They did it whenever they were in the mood, which was often. Neither of them viewed sex as something they _owed_ to the other. It was just another enjoyable activity between friends, like a pick-up gravball game or watching a drama club production.

Who cared this much about Vada's reasons, though? He was here, draping himself all over Hal, and he wanted it. It wasn't like Hal was trying to force him or anything.

"Imilai," Hal said, "I'll do it with you this time."

"About time you saw sense," Vada said, low and seductive, into Hal's ear.

"But the next time we have sex, don't do it because you feel like you owe me something. Do it because you think it will be fun."

"Fun." Vada stiffened, just a little.

"Mr. Perfect," Hal sighed, "do you even know what fun is?"

"Better than you do, virgin."

Vada pulled himself from Hal, though not before reaching down and squeezing Hal's already quite firm package. Hal squeaked. Then Vada took Hal's hand and led him into the building, into the same classroom where he'd done the blowjob.

He performed the same Contemplatist miracle to block the door, then knelt before Hal and began to work on opening Hal's jacket, unbuttoning Hal's shirt. As he drew Hal's shirt open, he traced his fingertips down Hal's chest, making Hal shiver and gasp - though his gasp turned into a sharp, pained cry when Vada brushed the bruise from where the Enforcer boy had hit.

"Sorry." Vada yanked his hand back. "I really am - for their shameful conduct - "

"I don't want to think about that shit at all," Hal said. "Okay? Can I take off your clothes?"

"A forward virgin, aren't you?"

"When are you ever going to stop calling me that?"

"When you stop thinking like a virgin."

_Is it thinking like a virgin to want the person I'm with to actually want me?_ Hal thought, his fury growing. But what would he know? He obviously didn't have as much experience as Vada. Who knew what Vada usually did when he had sex.

Actually, come to think of it, that raised an interesting question. Vada obviously wasn't a virgin, which meant he had to have slept with at least one person before. Probably a lot more. But who? His posse? Was that why they were jealous? Hal couldn't think of anyone else Vada could be doing the do with.

Did Vada enjoy sex with them? More than he did sex with Hal?

No. Hal did not want to think about this. Not while he was busy working on Vada's uniform, sliding the shirt and jacket together off Vada's shoulders, letting them both fall to the floor. Revealing Vada's pale chest, already crawling with markings, his nipples stiff. Hal pinched a nipple and Vada gasped.

Hal bent down, tackling Vada's pants next, undoing the belt and pulling them down and letting them pool around Vada's ankles. Vada was now naked except for his boots. Hal grinned as he reached out and squeezed Vada's already partly-hard cock.

"Oh, yes, yes, like that, Thorner," Vada gasped, twitching as Hal rubbed and squeezed.

This wasn't too different from masturbating himself, except he wasn't feeling the effects - but he might as well have been, as he watched Vada moan and pant and his chest heave and thighs twitch. His own cock got harder and harder. Hal drew it out of his pants, rubbed it with his other hand, leaving behind slick trails of precum.

When Vada's cock started jumping in Hal's hands, Hal let go. Vada let loose a long, low moan, sprawling out upon the desk. "Th-Thorner, more, more, don't stop."

"Imilai, could you get on your hands and knees?" Hal said, forcing the words out of his dry mouth.

"Hmm?" Vada blinked, his long eyelashes fluttering. "Certainly."

He climbed onto the desk, then turned around, presenting his ass to Hal. Just like he had in the Armor Vault. Hal had imagined this view plenty of times, fantasized deeply about it, but nothing compared to seeing it in real life. Vada's sculpted ass cheeks, slightly parted around the wet, dripping hole...it was enough to make Hal want to cum right then and there.

Luckily Hal had a bit more control than that. He climbed onto the desk behind Vada, then lowered himself behind Vada, stuck out his tongue, and licked the rim.

_"Ah."_ Vada's entire body stiffened; Hal could feel his muscles drawing tight. Hal licked again, tasting the liquid; it was faintly sweet. An incubus' fluids. They had some uses in Fashioning, according to that teacher of that long-ago lesson, and the kids just would not stop giggling.

And this wasn't what Hal wanted to think about. Emboldened, he licked all the way around the quivering rim, sucking in Vada's taste and heat and scent. The skin was so soft... Without thinking, his hands moved, gripping Vada's hips, and Vada lifted his ass higher and shifted backward, moving closer to Hal's mouth.

Shivering, quivering from anticipation, Hal did what he'd fantasized about doing and slid his tongue into Vada's hole. It was even wetter and slicker than he'd thought it would be, and so hot too. The heat flooded his mouth, making his head swim.

_"Mm - oh, ahh, Thorner, ah."_ Vada arched his back, lifted his hips, moaned and panted. Hal pushed his tongue in as deep as possible, licking every inch that he could reach of Vada's warm, tight, pulsing insides. It was so soft inside, so hot, so wet. He tasted Vada with each movement of his tongue, all of Vada, and it made Hal's cock throb.

He couldn't take much more of this. Slowly, reluctantly, he drew out, pausing only to lick around the rim one last time, making Vada shiver. Then Hal tightened his grip on Vada's hips, lifted himself, and pushed himself forward.

To his embarrassment, his first attempt missed, hitting Vada's ass cheek instead. Vada shot Hal a glare over his shoulder. "Stupid virgin."

Hal blushed so bright he was sure steam was shooting from his ears. "Sh-shut up, I'm doing my best."

"I know." Vada's voice softened. He turned back around, pressing his face to the desk. "Please, please hurry."

"Do you want this?" Hal said, gulping as he guided his cock with his hand and pressed it to the rim.

"Of _course_ I do, you fucking idiot!" With that furious pronouncement, Vada shoved his ass backwards and swallowed Hal's cock.

_"Ohhhhhhh."_ A long, low groan was wrenched from Hal's throat as warm, tight heat surrounded him on all sides. He'd thought it had been amazing when it had just been his tongue, but now feeling his cock fill every inch of Vada's insides, stretching Vada wide open, was enough to make him go insane. He thrust forward, wanting to go deeper, deeper, deeper...

"Imilai, Imilai, _Imilai,"_ he groaned as he leaned over Vada, pushing more of his cock inside. " _Feels so good, feels -_ huh?"

For Vada had started to shift his position, lifting his ass higher, raising his thighs. He was no longer on his hands and knees, but pressing his chest flat to the desk and balancing his weight with his arms. The position forced Hal to rise higher so he was sitting up on his knees.

"Hey, what, what - "

"Try it like this," Vada gasped into his arms. "This feels better for me. Start moving, come on."

Hal swallowed, then tightened his grip around Vada's hips and pushing his way down, as Vada pushed up to meet him. To his surprise, aided by gravity he thrust longer and deeper - and hit something deep inside Vada, something soft and spongy.

Vada threw his head back, unleashing a high, strangled cry. _"Ohhh, oh yes, right there, right there - "_

All right, Hal decided this was his favorite position. Not that he'd known many others, virgin that he was. He lifted Vada's ass higher, pushed his way deeper inside. Thrust at a fierce rhythm, slamming Vada's prostate with each downward thrust. Harder and harder each time, a thrumming excitement building and building in his entire body until he felt like he might explode.

"Mmn, ahh, _ahh,"_ Vada's moans and cries were rising in volume, filling up every inch of the room. His thighs were trembling. Hal shifted his hands downward, sliding them from Vada's hips down around his slender waist. Like this, he forced Vada to raise his ass further and ended up even deeper inside on his downward thrust.

This was too much - Vada was squeezing him too tightly - and the smell of plums was so overwhelming, so sickly sweet and rich, it was making Hal's head lurch. Hal couldn't take it anymore. With a loud cry and curse, he came, spilling his seed deep inside Vada.

Vada thrust back against Hal, unleashed a soft groan, and came as well, liquid gushing between his thighs and splashing onto the desk.

The instant he was done, Hal let go. Vada collapsed as well, and the two fell on top of each other. Hal's soft cock was still inside Vada, engulfed in hot cum. A nice feeling, Hal sighed against Vada's neck.

Vada laughed, soft and relieved. "That felt good, Thorner. You're learning quickly."

"I have a good teacher," Hal said, grinning into Vada's skin. "Hey, won't you let me kiss you?"

Vada stiffened. "Absolutely not."

"Why? You said I was learning. I'll never get to improve my kissing technique if you don't teach me."

"Oh, virgin." Vada turned around, fixing Hal with a look of scandalized incredulity. "Don't tell me you've never _kissed_ anyone yet?"

"Well - come on, when would I have?" Hal protested. "How about you?"

The question burst out before he could contain himself, even though the last thing he wanted was to discuss Vada's sex life or his other sexual partners. Vada looked as taken aback as Hal, and Hal burned, hating how his stupid question had ruined the brief moment of contentment between them.

Then Vada turned back around, speaking to the desk.

"I haven't. It's stupid, but...a kiss is different, I feel."

"Imilai," Hal said, startled by the soft pain in Vada's voice.

"So don't ask again."

"Sorry," Hal murmured. "I won't."

So Vada had never kissed anyone, either. Hal didn't know why, but that knowledge sent a strange flutter through his stomach. But for once, it had nothing to do with sexual pleasure.

And it only made him want to kiss Vada more.

* * *

Thorner really was an idiot. His words echoed in Vada's head even as Vada went back to his quarters, and remained running through Vada's mind as he drifted off to sleep. _Do you actually like sex, Imilai? Or is it just something you do for other people? I just don't get the impression from you that you think sex is fun._

That fool idiot virgin. What did he know? Of _course_ Vada loved sex. Otherwise he wouldn't cum every time he was tied down, humiliated, fucked, treated like an object or plaything. If he really didn't enjoy it, then his body wouldn't react, right? Except Thorner had said something about physiological reactions differing from what was in his mind, or some other such nonsense.

Yeah, right. He was just a filthy cum-slut incubus to the core. Thorner was just another chivalrous fool, like Garret Ruever, seeing someone pure and perfect instead of who Vada really was.

Except Vada had the distinct, crawling feeling that Garret Ruever would never have said what Thorner had. Or any of the other men who were chivalrous. Even they took for granted that Vada wanted them, that he enjoyed sex with them.

Only Thorner...out of everyone, only Thorner had ever asked.

Why did it matter so much to Vada? The answer was yes. End of story, case closed.

If so, why when morning came and he got onto the medusid, did a sick shame and dread coil up inside him? The same shame and dread he always felt, every morning. If he really enjoyed this, shouldn't he look forward to it?

His mind was wrong. His body was right. He came, so he enjoyed it.

This was a typical day, with the Lord Superior Hierophant, Pember, and Shell presiding over matters. Vada stripped as he always did, turned around slowly and showed them his body. The dread still didn't go away. But he was already getting hard.

"I have a surprise for you today, Vada," crooned Pember. He gestured to Shell and Shell held out a bag. He withdrew something from the bag, cloth, black and white and covered with frills and lace.

"Put this on," Shell instructed, handing it to Vada.

So they wanted him in women's clothes today. It happened on occasion. Vada hated that he knew exactly how to tie and lace up the corset, how to fluff out the petticoats so the skirt bounced in just the right way. And how to slide on the panties, tucking his cock in, and do up the garters on the stockings.

"Beautiful." Pember licked his lips. "A pretty little maid you are."

" _Our_ pretty little maid," said Shell.

The Lord Superior Hierophant said nothing, but he was already touching himself.

Vada climbed onto the desk, dropped his hips and raised his ass. The scandalously short skirt lifted, exposing the lacy panties in the back. He held his breath as Pember slid a slender finger beneath the waistband of the panties, stroking Vada's skin.

_I like this, I like every second of this,_ Vada told himself. _That's why I'm getting hard._

Then Pember reached around, stroking Vada's cock through the panties. Vada let out the breath he'd been holding, gasping sharply as he stiffened, straining against the thin material.

Shell moved in front, his cock already out and throbbing. He pressed it to Vada's mouth, and Vada leaned forward and took it in. Shell moved his hands, sliding them down Vada's chest, reaching beneath the low neckline of the dress and rubbing his nipples. Vada moaned into Shell's cock.

"Ah," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "Here come our guests."

Vada started. More people were participating? He threw a wild glance toward the entrance, which had opened, blowing a gust of wind inside. A medusid parked and two people got out, walking slowly across the office floor with wide eyes.

Two people wearing black jackets. _Students._

As they approached, Vada realized who they were. And it sent horror slamming in his chest.

There was thickset Rhys Feyler, barrel chest gleaming with medals he'd earned for his dueling prowess. There was Elairya Luminasca, her golden hair sweeping behind her.

No. Not them. Not those two.

And not - not a girl. It had always been men doing these things to him. If it was a girl, Vada didn't know how he could stand the shame.

Vada tugged, trying to get Shell's cock out of his mouth, trying to speak. But Shell held on tighter, pushing him forward, forcing him to swallow more of the hot, throbbing flesh. And behind him Pember reached beneath the panties, stroking his cock even harder. Vada stiffened, tensed, moaned into Shell's cock.

"Hello, Devotee Rhys Feyler, Devotee Elairya Luminasca," said the Lord Superior Hierophant as if this was a social call. "How are you doing today?"

"What - what's going on?" said a wide-eyed Rhys. He backed off a little, along with Elairya. "Wait...is that...is that Vada?"

_No._ Vada squeezed his eyes shut, tears stinging his lashes. The humiliation - the humiliation was going to kill him. If it hadn't already. This was the first time his - not his friends, but members of his peer group, had ever seen him like this. They'd known him for all these years as the perfect Devotee-in-Command, the future Chosen One. To rip the wool from their eyes like _this..._

"What in the name of the Angel - " Elairya's voice rose hysterically high. "Why - what are you - "

For a wild, desperate moment Vada hoped that the two of them would be so horrified they'd run away, but they remained in place. Just staring and staring. Taking in his arched back, his heaving chest, his mad, involuntary rubbing against Pember's groping hand, his expert sucking of Shell's cock.

Shell stiffened, shook, and came. Vada choked and gagged on his seed, forcing it all down his throat. Even so, when Shell pulled away, the tip of his cock still dribbling cum into Vada's mouth, Vada couldn't help but cough out some cum. It landed on the desk in little white globs. Vada felt disgusted with himself.

"Now, Vada," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, "don't be rude. Greet your friends."

Vada squeezed his eyes shut and turned away. Until Shell's hand caught his hair and forced him to turn.

"Greet them," said Shell.

"You see, I heard that you got in a fight with them," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "Apparently it was over Hallert Thorner."

_How did he know?_ Stupid of Vada. Of course the Lord Superior Hierophant would find out. He was only the supreme lord and master of the Centarium.

No, the Nine-Armed One was, but Ghestruel felt very distant indeed. More distant than ever these days.

"How awful, fighting your friends for such a petty reason." Pember clucked his tongue, speeding up his stroking. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself."

"They, they," Vada managed to gasp. "They were behaving dishonorably, bullying an underclassman..."

"They're still your friends. Friends should be loyal to one another, hmm?" whispered Pember, then tugged harder than ever before.

Vada cried out, his body jerking, as he came. The hot liquid stained the panties, dripped down his thighs, and he hated himself for coming in front of these two, for showing this much vulnerability, this much weakness -

A hard slap to his ass made him start. "What a bad little maid you are. Staining these beautiful panties of yours."

"This is insane," whispered Rhys. He was standing back, trembling, holding Elairya tightly. But - but - Vada recognized the tremble in his voice. The interest in their eyes.

No, no, _no._ He couldn't stand this. If they looked at him with those eyes...

Pember clucked his tongue, squeezed Vada's softening cock. "Can't be helped, guess we'll just take these off." He pulled down the panties, and Vada hated that he responded, moving his legs to help Pember along. More cum dripped down his thighs, and his shame only grew.

_I don't enjoy this, I don't, I DON'T -_ but he was already getting harder.

"Our little maid is an exhibitionist," whispered Shell in Vada's ear, his voice rough and aggressive. "Go on, show your friends."

"No!" Vada gasped out. "No, please - "

But together Shell and Pember turned him, forcing him to face Rhys and Elairya. Shell wrenched his thighs open, Pember lifted the skirt, and now they could see - everyone could see - they could see his cock reddening and hardening as if it had a mind of his own.

"Please, please," Vada begged. "Please don't look, don't look at me."

"I heard you struck Feyler," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "Friends shouldn't hit each other. Feyler, would you like to make Vada pay for his cruel treatment of you?"

"Don't, please, I'm begging you." The more he begged, the more Vada hated himself, but he couldn't stop. It was the only way he knew how to make someone stop hurting him, not that it ever worked. But how could he summon _any_ dignity like this, in a maid uniform and with his cock on display?

"Markings," Rhys said suddenly. "Incubus markings." His eyes widened. "Vada, you're - "

_"Don't."_ Vada's voice rose hysterically. "I don't want it!"

"But you're getting hard," Rhys said, his voice slow and contemplative.

Vada shook his head wildly, but what he was denying he had no idea. For Rhys was right. The more he and Elairya stared, the harder Vada's cock became. The dull pleasure building in his stomach was becoming unbearable.

"Come here." Pember moved forward, gliding toward Rhys and Elairya. He held something in his hand. A long, slender switch. "Make him pay."

Pember pressed the switch into Rhys's hand. Rhys stared at it numbly, and again Vada hoped that Rhys wouldn't - that he had _something_ in the way of a conscience -

But why did Vada ever bother hoping? For Rhys took one step, then another. "No way," whispered Elairya. But she wasn't horrified. Her voice was high and excited.

"Don't, please," Vada said again as Rhys came closer. "Rhys, I'm sorry, I'm sorry for hitting you, I'm sorry for everything, just please don't - "

"I didn't even know you were capable of begging, Vada," Rhys said, his voice low and thoughtful. He was turning the switch back and forth in his hand. "I kind of like the sound of your voice like this."

"Rhys, please, you're my - my friend." Vada's voice broke on the word. _Friends._ As if he'd ever possessed anything like that. "You don't have to..."

"You hit me," Rhys said.

"Y-you were bullying Thorner - "

Rhys's hand shot out. The force of the slap knocked Vada's head to the side. Vada tasted blood in his mouth.

"Now, now." There was a warning in Shell's voice. "Don't leave visible marks."

"Thorner is a loser. I don't understand how you could stand up for him," Rhys said, and to Vada's shock his eyes blazed with fury and hatred.

"H-he's an underclassman, it's, it's our duty as Devotees to - "

" _Duty."_ Rhys sneered. "You know, I can almost stomach your talk of duty better when you're in a maid uniform."

Vada stared at Rhys, and his disbelief must have been plain on his face for Rhys laughed.

"You know, Vada, I always hated you. You're better than me at _everything._ At dueling, at classes, even at being a Devotee. With all that puke-perfect talk about duty - who of us can ever measure up to it? I always dreamed of one day putting you in your place. And now I can."

"No, Rhys, please," Vada said, his heart slamming. He'd had no idea. No idea that Rhys harbored such sentiments in him. "Elairya, you, you too?"

Elairya shook her head mutely. "I'm in love with you," she said at last.

"Th-then stop this, _stop this!"_

"I had fantasies." Elairya raised her voice. "But I knew I could never have you. You were too cold, too unapproachable. Too devoted to your _duty._ Now, now I can make some of my fantasies come true."

Tears burned Vada's eyes. He struggled to hold them back, but when he blinked they rolled down his cheeks. His shame only made them come harder and faster. He began to sob, little awful hiccuping noises that made his chest shake.

"Wow, you _can_ cry." Elairya's eyes widened. "You look beautiful like this, Vada."

"And I'm gonna give you a lot more to cry about." Chuckling, Rhys slapped the switch against his palm.

Shell's rough hands turned Vada over. Pember lifted his hips, forcing him to raise his ass, then flipped the skirt up.

"What a view." Rhys whistled. "Your ass framed by those garters and stockings...it's lovely." Laughing, he tugged on one of the garters and snapped it. Vada bit his lip, biting back a hiss at the sudden sting.

Anyway, a worse pain was in store. A telltale whoosh through the air, then a sharp sting flared across his ass. Vada's tears came harder.

Rhys hit him again. He had little technique, but plenty of enthusiasm; the pain seared all the way through to Vada's bones. Vada whimpered, but his cock was jumping, and as more and more blows rained down, Vada began pushing back, lifting his ass to bring himself closer to the switch.

Elairya laughed in delight. "He's a masochist!"

"Luminasca, you can entertain this side of him," said Pember, reaching out and squeezing Vada's cock.

"Can I?" Elairya's voice was shaking.

"No, no! _Ah!"_ As another blow of the switch landed, in that most sensitive spot where his buttocks met his thighs. "No, stop, Elairya, please, you're - you're a nice girl, you can f-find a boyfriend - "

"I don't want a boyfriend," Elairya said, kneeling down beside Vada. "I just like to fuck."

Vada had no idea, truly no idea, that Elairya was that kind of person. Then she leaned beneath his stomach, and her mouth closed around his cock, and he began to sob.

She sucked with expert abandon, creating suction with her full lips, wrapping her tongue around every inch of his cock. Combined with the pain flaring in his ass, it was enough to make his cock jump and twitch. Harder and harder Rhys hit him, until he suddenly flung the switch aside and sank his hands into Vada's thoroughly abused ass. Vada keened, which transformed into a wail when Rhys spread his ass cheeks, settled down behind him, and pushed his cock inside.

Elairya sucked harder; Rhys fucked him with long, slow rolls of his hips. Vada cried harder than he had in years, sobbed and wailed like a child, and in his mind he was begging, praying to Ghestruel, to just _make this all end..._

But the Nine-Armed One didn't listen. They never did.

No one was going to save him, because he - in his heart he loved this. He loved being treated like a whore, being shamed and humiliated until he could barely breathe. No wonder Ghestruel considered Vada so far beneath Their notice. No matter what he did, no matter how rigidly he attempted to uphold his duty, it was all a sham. And Ghestruel knew this.

Thorner was wrong, all wrong about him.

Rhys came deep inside him, and he came into Elairya's mouth, and he pressed his head to the desk and wished that he were dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vada's friends are assholes, what a surprise. Can't promise when things will get better for him; you'll have to keep reading to find out!
> 
> Thanks as always for the comments, bookmarks, and kudos. Always warms my heart to know people are enjoying my stories. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super late chapter, sorry about that. I'll try to update in a more timely fashion as I have most of the story written. No promises because I'm a flake, though!
> 
> Anyway, this is a something of a nicer chapter for Vada, so enjoy!

Rodmont was trying to persuade Hal to join his band.

"Please, Hal? I know you have a good singing voice. And we have everyone but a vocalist so far."

"Your band is called _Ninety-Six Rotting Fishes._ I am not going to sing for you. And I'm definitely not going to sing your pretentious druggie songs that probably only make sense in the middle of a grinjal high."

"Hal, Hal, it'll be a way to deepen our friendship." Rodmont draped an arm over Hal's shoulders. "You should give yourself a break. You've been going to all those extra lessons and actually paying attention to classes. I'm sure it's enough to make your lazy brain want to catch on fire."

"Gee, thanks," Hal muttered. "But joining your fucking stupid band is the last thing I'd call a break."

"You don't have to _join._ Just sing for one gig."

"Where is this gig anyway?"

"It's the ballroom of the Scarlet Mansion."

The Scarlet Mansion? Where Vada lived? Despite himself, a tremor of interest ran through Hal.

Damn it all! Was he some lovelorn little girl seeking excuses to get close to the object of her affections? Hal shook his head to clear it, which Rodmont interpreted as yet another refusal. "Oh, Hal, don't knock it till you try it!"

"I really don't want to inflict your awful songs on a bunch of ninth years," Hal said. "They'll beat us up."

Which made him remember his encounter with Vada's posse. No doubt they still had it out for him, even if their leader had told them to lay off. Bullies weren't terribly good at listening.

"I'll have you know that everyone in Ninety-Six Rotting Fishes is a ninth-year except for me," said Rodmont, puffing out his chest.

Oh, right, since Rodmont's friends were the sort who'd rather get high than worry about their graduation exam. "You've had this band for how long and you still don't have a vocalist?" Hal said most skeptically.

"We, uh, had two but they both quit."

"Yeah, this is definitely selling me, all right."

"Creative differences, you see. They insisted on rewriting the lyrics. Complained they weren't singable, but they didn't understand that was the whole point. The harsh dissonance of the jangling sounds, that's where art can truly be found."

Hal groaned.

"But they were Recorders," Rodmont said, his tone brighter now. "So they had very set-in-stone, dyed-in-the-wool ways when it came to music theory. You're not, Hal, and I like how raw your sound is. You'll be perfect for our lyrics!"

Hal opened his mouth to protest some more, but that was when he saw Vada Imilai.

Vada was striding across one of the few parks in Ryger Platform, his cape billowing behind him and tailed by his usual posse. Including Rhys and that elf girl. Hal maneuvered himself so he was a little bit behind Rodmont. Just in case.

Vada and the group left the park. Vada slipped his gaze over to Hal, sending a jolt through Hal's heart, but he didn't really seem to see Hal. Then he turned away, and continued on his merry way. The posse trotted after his heels like dogs after their master.

Until that damn elf girl turned toward Rodmont. "Hey, Roddy, did you manage to get a vocalist for your band? You've got only one more day to turn in your form."

"Oh, yeah!" Before Hal could figure out what was happening, Rodmont yanked him into a headlock and put on a huge, winsome grin. "Hal here has so generously agreed to be our vocalist for this gig. We're really looking forward to it!"

"Wha - wha - _whaaaaaaaaa?"_ Hal screamed.

"Wonderful." The elf girl flashed a winsome grin. One of her ribbons was the dark blue of the Recorders, Hal noticed. "Turn in your form soon."

"I didn't agree to this!" Hal shrieked as the posse left. Evidently he was loud enough that some of them turned his direction - including Vada.

"Too bad," said Rodmont in a most unsympathetic tone. "Now let's start rehearsing."

Damn it! Hal had been looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend of doing absolutely fucking nothing.

Some friends _he_ had!

* * *

"Vada. Vada!"

Vada turned at the sound of the voice, blinking. It was Corbin Raisthi, leaning across the table and staring at him with intense blue eyes. An intensity Vada didn't like. He swallowed down his fear and fury, though, and sat up straighter.

"What is it, Corbin?"

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes," Corbin groused. "What's going on? You seem really absent-minded lately."

"I'm sorry," Vada said.

"Apologizing more, too," observed Hellana Murvey, a small, dark-haired human girl. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm - " Vada bit down the apology that threatened to rise. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all."

"That's why you should come," Corbin said, waving a flyer in Vada's face. "The debut of the all-new, all-different Ninety-Six Rotting Fishes!"

"Your band totally needs a better name," said Hellana.

Vada had been intending to study that night; he rarely went to the open music nights that the Scarlet Mansion was legendary for hosting. But...but maybe it would be a welcome distraction. From being alone with his own thoughts, which invariably turned toward memories of his most recent humiliation...

For Rhys and Elairya had started to attend these sessions regularly. They continued to defer to him during the day, but spoke with just a little more confidence, a devilish gleam in their eyes. Vada didn't even know how he handled being near them without feeling sick.

Besides, he vaguely remembered his latest, brief encounter with Hallert Thorner. Thorner had been roped into being the vocalist for this band, that was right.

But Vada didn't want to talk about Thorner in front of his - not friends. Peers. "I suppose I can check it out," he said.

"Thorner's your latest vocalist, huh? How's working with him?" asked Hellana with her hands behind her head.

Corbin shrugged. "Not bad, actually. I mean, he hates our lyrics, but he'll come around. And he sings them with conviction, anyway. His voice is really not bad."

"I didn't know Thorner sang," Vada said before he could stop himself. It was a sobering thought, how little he really knew about Hallert Thorner. Aside from being a pathetic failure. Aside from being kind and considerate.

"I always thought he could be a Recorder," said Corbin. "And he'd do well at it."

Yet instead Thorner had chosen to be an Enforcer, Miraclist, and Tamer, despite being terrible at all three. Perhaps not the latter, if one took Pency into account. Vada couldn't miss that in addition to being his same Three Arms, they were the same Three Arms as Nassat.

So just like Vada, Thorner admired Nassat. It made sense; Nassat was the only Chosen One who came from Rusaida. To say nothing of being the greatest one, who had singlehandedly stopped a war with the demonic nations. But if Thorner wanted to follow Nassat's example, why did he go about his studies so halfheartedly? Why did they seem so unaligned with his actual interests?

Not just the fact that Thorner was apparently a good enough singer to be a Recorder, but also the fact that he fought in a completely unapproved style. A style he was quite good at, and Vada enjoyed sparring with him, but that didn't change the fact it had nothing to do with standard Enforcer forms. Thorner always had so much more energy when fighting in this style than when trying to use miraculous attacks.

Thorner gave every indication of not wanting to be here, of treating his attendance at the Centarium as an obligation - but to whom? There were many Devotees who attended just because their parents had, but Thorner didn't seem to fit their profile either. For one, not very many Rusaida Clansmen attended the Centarium, and Thorner didn't have the easy entitlement of those legacy Devotees.

Why did Vada care so much, anyway? Thorner was an idiot and more than a little strange, but Vada shouldn't be devoting so much of his mental energy to him.

Although it was much, _much_ better than thinking of what he had to go through every morning.

"Vada?" Hellana's voice seemed to drift from far away. Vada blinked, staring at her.

"You drifted off again," said Corbin. "Man, I really think you need a break."

Vada's first instinct was to snap that no, he didn't. But unbidden, the Lord Superior Hierophant's words from this morning whispered in his head. _Shouldn't you be kind to your friends?_

Swallowing, Vada said, "Yes, perhaps I do. I'll come to the performance."

* * *

At last, the dreaded day arrived.

Well, Hal wasn't completely dreading it. Contrary to his expectations, he had finally been able to get through one rehearsal session without dissolving into giggles over the ridiculous lyrics he was expected to sing. Maybe he wouldn't royally fuck it up at the actual performance. Maybe.

Along with the rest of the band, Hal came early to help set up. The drummer, especially, would take a while; he was using some ridiculous Architecturalist creation that had scaffolding and various levels, and could create booms that resounded for miles. Hal had the feeling that the entire band existed so the drummer could show off his tech.

While the drummer and several other band members set up, Rodmont sat back with Corbin Raisthi and a few others and began rolling and smoking grinjal. Soon, the spicy, pungent scent filled the entire ballroom and clouds of purplish smoke billowed. Which was rather a shame, for the Scarlet Mansion's ballroom was quite an impressive venue, floored in honey-veined marble and admitting a gorgeous view through its floor-to-ceiling windows.

Hal couldn't figure out why the band had so many members, half of whom didn't seem to play an instrument. Maybe they were just all members of Rodmont's grinjal-and-philosophy club.

After the setup completed, most of the supposed band members went to mingle with the steadily growing audience, who occupied folding chairs that had been set up in the ballroom. Most of the audience was smoking grinjal as well. Hal wrinkled his nose as little dried purple leaves began to speckle the floor, casualties of careless rolling.

Now, Hal was no puritan, but drugs were different. Among the Rusaida, only the shamans were permitted to take mind-altering substances, and only after years of intense study. They were _holy._ Though Hal had let go of a lot of his old Rusaida thinking, his uneasiness about normal people using drugs persisted.

Hal joined the rest of the band in tuning up. One of the members, a Fashioner, had already cast a miracle on his throat that would enable his voice to be heard around the entire ballroom. It made Hal nervous. He was a good singer, but had never sang before such a large audience before, even if they were all so buzzed on grinjal they probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the smoothest operatic aria and a yowling cat.

So Hal ran through his vocal exercises, sweating, but stopped abruptly when a tall, white-caped figure entered the ballroom.

_Vada_ was here? This seemed about the last sort of place that Mr. Perfect would frequent. Indeed, judging by the naked look of disgust on Vada's face, he obviously didn't want to be here.

Hal wasn't the only one who noticed Vada's presence. Heads turned, whispered fluttered. _"Vada. It's Vada. What's he doing here?"_

Vada was accompanied by his usual posse. He sat down with them. Immediately people mobbed him, lobbing questions at him.

"Hal, are you ready?" asked Rodmont, who was playing alli-tar. Which was like a guitar, except green and scaly and with sharp teeth, and made awful roaring noises when the strings were plucked. One needed no skill to play the alli-tar, which was why it was Rodmont's instrument of choice.

Hal blinked, forced his attention away from Mr. Perfect, and nodded.

Somehow, Hal made it through the first song without laughing once. He was immensely proud of himself for this feat. The second and third songs were a bit harder. The grinjal smoke in the air was making him light-headed. He felt that he might detach from the floor and drift up to the ceiling any second now.

The third song was the hardest to sing, with the twistiest lyrics. Hal sweated as he belted out,

_Internal calibration reveals palpitations_  
_My perineum is dampened by perspiration_  
_The jugular is unraveled with precipitation  
_ _To thine turpitude I extend my fondest salutations_

By the last lyric, he was swallowing back giggles. It was starting to get rather painful to sing.

It did not help that some heckler from the audience decided to scream, "You suck!"

"Shut up!" Rodmont yelled back.

Sweating, Hal continued to sing. Luckily, for artistic effect the lyricist had decided to cut those awful words about perspiration and palpitations with the verses from a popular song a few years back. It wasn't Hal's favorite song by far, but at least it was somewhere in the realm of _singable._

_And I can't look away_  
_Just want you to stay_  
_I'll be wherever you are  
_ _No matter if it's light or dark_

After this, Hal was supposed to switch back to the gargling-on-rocks that made up the rest of the song, but the grinjal was buzzing in his head and he was staring madly in the audience, struggling to orient himself, when his eyes landed on Vada Imilai.

Vada looked bored out of his mind; he'd swept his cape in front of his mouth and nose in an attempt to hide from the grinjal fumes, but Hal saw his golden eyes well enough, bright and sharp. It made a strange, warm feeling rise in Hal's chest.

And he continued singing the dumb pop song.

_Just can't look away,_  
_Always want you to stay_  
_Won't you let me save you  
_ _Won't you let me save you_

_When I was alone you were there_  
_Never looked away_  
_Never was scared_  
_Now you're slipping away from me_  
_Don't know what I can do  
_ _To make you smile, make you see_

"Hal," hissed Rodmont into his ear. "Hal, you're supposed to go back to _My Sensors Are Broken and I'm Dripping Oil and I Don't Know How To Fix Myself."_

Amazing that he was able to quote the entire song name from memory. Grinning, Hal waved Rodmont off and continued singing. He wasn't thinking about Ninety-Six Rotting Fishes anymore, wasn't thinking about anything but Vada alone in the crowd. Vada was always alone, always carrying himself apart from others, holding his secret deep inside. Until circumstance had forced him to share it with Hal.

And it gave him so much pain, had completely fucked up his thinking about sex and relationships, and even Hal could see that despite Vada saying it was because he was a virgin. _No._ It wasn't _supposed_ to be like this. Why couldn't Vada _see_ that?

Hal couldn't do anything for Rayton anymore. But that didn't mean he couldn't help one other person.

Tears pricked Hal's eyes. He sang with ever more fervor.

_Don't know how long I'll wait  
_ _Just want you here  
_ _Tomorrow and today  
_ _No matter how far you are  
_ _I'll reach for_ _you_  
 _Y_ _ou're my shining star_

_And I can't look away_  
_Just want you to stay_  
_I'll be wherever you are  
_ _No matter if it's light or dark_

_Just can't look away,_  
_Always want you to stay_  
_Won't you let me save you_  
_Won't you let me save you  
_ _Won't you let me save you..._

Hal let his voice trail off, then swept into a bow. The music had long stopped, since he wasn't singing the song with the overly long name anymore.

Scattered applause greeted him.

"Hal," Rodmont hissed into his ear, his voice low and urgent. "Hal, what the hell is the matter with you?"

"Maybe you should considering being a cover band," called one heckler.

"Fuck you!" yelled back Corbin Raisthi. "Thorner, let's move on. This time, sing the _actual_ song, will you?"

Hal wiped his eyes. Why had he started crying? The song was dumb. This whole gig was dumb. He didn't want to be here.

But Vada was sitting there, staring right at him.

"'Kay," Hal sniffed. "Anything you say."

"Hal has no grinjal tolerance," Rodmont helpfully supplied.

"I can see that," said a peeved Corbin. "Okay, a-one, a-two..."

Hal sighed, and when his cue came, amidst the booming drums and roaring alli-tar, he started:

_Emotions are a chemical compound that exerts an endless pressure upon the anterior and posterior lobes of my mind..._

And the lyric _still_ didn't end! How was he ever going to get enough breath to finish?

* * *

The performance was over. The band members had all unceremoniously kicked Hal out. Now Hal was commiserating with Rodmont.

Okay, the only miserable one was Rodmont. Hal was quite happy to owe no more obligations to the Ninety-Six Rotting Fishes.

Rodmont was crying into a beer. It was much harder to make a Crinari cry than a human, but grinjal lowered the inhibitions that much. "Hal, I really thought - I really wanted you to like them, and them to like you. Why can't all my friends get along?"

"That's a romantic dream, Rodmont," Hal said, swigging from his own beer.

They sat on the balcony of their dorm, watching the great spread of the campus dotted with globe-fish. Cinda had joined them and generously brought the beer.

Away from the grinjal smoke, Hal was finally able to think at least semi-clearly. And he too was somewhat mortified by what he'd done, though it had been a great way to escape being stuck as the vocalist of the Ninety-Six Rotting Fishes. But that hadn't been the thought running through his head when he'd been singing.

No, the lyrics of that dumb pop song had really resonated in his bones, and he'd looked at Vada and his head had been filled with warm, powerful thoughts of making Vada happy - _actually_ happy. Not sexually excited or sarcastically snickering or wryly charming. Hal had wanted nothing more, in that moment, than to see a real smile on Vada's face.

A real smile because of him.

Hal groaned into his beer. Why? _Why_ did he care so much about if Mr. Perfect was happy or not?

Because...because...

Hal swigged, emptying his bottle. He tossed it out of the balcony and heard it shatter on the ground far below.

"Waste of a perfectly good bottle," said Cinda. "We're collecting bottles for use in Fashioning, you know."

"What, so you can make them turn pink and dance?" snickered Rodmont. "Guess what, we're _making_ glass in our Architecture classes. Out of sand."

Cinda and Rodmont glared at each other. Hal groaned. Not _this_ again. Fashioners and Architecturalists maintained a fierce rivalry, with Architecturalists viewing Fashioners as frivolous and Fashioners viewing Architecturalists as snobby and stuffy. To Hal, the distinction between the two Arms barely mattered. So the Architecturalists made things from raw materials and the Fashioners augmented existing things; that was like the difference between an orange and tangerine.

Hal gestured, Cinda pressed another ice-cold beer into his hand, and Hal swigged. This was his third or fourth bottle, not that he was keeping track. Normally Hal wasn't that enthusiastic about alcohol. He still thought beer tasted like crap compared to the fermented mare's milk of the Rusaida. But he wanted to...wanted to...

Wipe that stupid concert out of his mind. What he'd sang, what he'd felt, in those intense moments...

For Vada Imilai.

Hal felt sick. He'd basically sang a love song for Vada's sake. Did that mean - did that mean -

Was he in love with Vada?

_No way._ Hal's hand clenched around the locket. So what if he'd had sex with Vada three times. That didn't mean anything. It sure as shit didn't mean anything to Vada. But Hal wished he could say that it was only sex between him and Vada. Because it went deeper than that, at least for him...

At some point, he'd started wanting Vada to be happy. He'd watched Vada, carefully observing Mr. Perfect's stiff control as if he feared he'd fall apart if he ever relaxed even an ounce, and thought that was no way to live. That Vada deserved better.

_No, it must be the pheromones. He seduced me with his pheromones,_ though Hal was sure Vada had not been emitting any pheromones at the concert. No, it had more been the grinjal than anything.

But grinjal just relaxed the inhibitions; it didn't plant entirely new thoughts in the head. Hal groaned, burying his face in his hands.

Rodmont patted Hal's shoulder. "'Sokay, Hal. I'll talk to them for you. Try to convince them."

"I don't want to go back to your shitty band, asshole!"

"Then what in the name of the Angel is your problem?" demanded Cinda. "You're acting like a relative died or something."

Hal stood up. "I'm going to sleep."

"Hal." Cinda shook her head. "Well, if you ever want to talk about it, we're right here. We're your friends."

"We're not shitty," whined Rodmont, sniffling into his beer bottle.

"I know." A tremor of guilt ran through Hal. "You're great friends. I'm sorry."

"I was talking about the band." More sniffling.

"Oh. Well, sorry Rodmont, but you guys definitely are shitty. Good night!"

With that, Hal yanked the door open and stomped inside. Except he didn't go to his bedroom. Instead, he walked to the stairwell and sat down. He wanted to be alone, and if he went back to his room Pency would be there, ready to berate him for underage drinking. Hal quaffed from his beer and stared down the stairs and gripped his locket so tight his knuckles paled.

_I'm not in love with Vada Imilai,_ he thought as hard as he could. _I love only one person. And that person is gone._

If he loved another, he'd betray Rayton. He knew this. It had been so easy when he'd made the promise. He'd only been a kid then.

But now - now what? Because he'd had sex, he decided he was in love with the guy? Nonsense. He really was thinking like a virgin.

To punish himself, Hal tried to remember. His last real conversation with Rayton. Then the clan elders bringing to him Rayton's shield, the sign that Rayton had fallen in combat. How Rayton's parents had sobbed. Rayton had been too young, not even initiated. But he'd wanted to fight.

Hal tried, oh how he tried. But invariably his mind kept slipping back to the saccharine words he'd sang to Vada in the crowd, and before that. All the times they'd had sex, Vada moving his body urgently, desperately beneath Hal, and more than that, Vada draping himself all over Hal and saying that of course he enjoyed sex, he liked making his partners happy, but there was nothing in there about why he liked sex for himself. And the look of wide-eyed incredulity on his face when Hal told him that next time, he should have sex because he thought it was fun. He'd looked so young right then. So vulnerable.

Hal buried his face in his hands and let the tears flow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always for the kudos, bookmarks, and comments! All my readers are the best!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, this update ended up coming a little later than I intended. Oh well! After the niceness of the last chapter, Vada's life returns to misery again. :)

_Dear Mother,_

_How are you? The lilies must be blooming around the lake by now. I'm sure it is a beautiful sight. I would love to see pictures. Are you still seeing Carson? I hope he can help you fix the fence..._

Vada shook his head and swept his hand over the paper. The last few lines vanished. This was a specialty Recorder pen, enabling him to easily erase the ink.

He should not inquire about his mother's latest boyfriend. As far as Vada knew, his mother and Carson might have already broken up. A shame. Vada had rather liked Carson, a big, exuberant man who had a young daughter of his own. For several weeks, Mother had enthused about how Vada would finally have a younger sister.

But Vada knew his mother. She made marriage plans and dissolved them in a heartbeat. After his father had died, she had never been able to settle down.

Died. As if. No doubt, incubus that he was, he had abandoned her long before Vada had been born. Mother had simply made up that story of him dying to save face. Or to keep herself from going insane.

Though perhaps this didn't explain why, sometimes in Vada's dreams, he heard a low, smooth man's voice whisper, _"My lovely baby boy,"_ and feel a warm, gentle hand on his forehead...

Probably an infant's memories of a male relative. Vada chewed on the end of the pen, a bad habit, but one he always fell to when he was thinking hard. Especially when it came to writing to his mother.

Finally, he put the pen back to the paper.

_Please continue to take care of your health. Are you using the blanket I sent you? I know it can get frightfully cold at night._

No, Mother wouldn't like him constantly asking about her. She complained that it made him seem like he was nagging. She'd rather hear about his school exploits. She was quite proud of how well he did. In some of her letters, she even addressed him _My Devotee-in-Command_ or _My Future Chosen One._

_I have been doing well. As you might have heard, I earned 110 points in the all-Centarium exam. It was not terribly difficult and I think I am well prepared for the graduation exam._

_"If you perform like this in your final exam, you'll pass with flying colors,"_ whispered the Lord Superior Hierophant as Vada trembled and twitched around Hierophant Shell's thick cock...

_As well, the Ignis Saints visited campus a few weeks ago. I was able to have a personal meeting with both Thelm and Garret Ruever. They promised me that they would help my career after I graduated, and seemed to take for granted that I would join the Ignis Saints. It is a great honor indeed to have their consideration._

The burning of wax on his body, making his cock jump and twitch, and the electricity that left great rippling tides of pain and pleasure...

The kindness in Garret's eyes, turned into lustful possessiveness as his hands wrapped around Vada's waist and pushed him down onto his cock...

_My friends are doing well, too. Elairya is talking about visiting this summer to see the lilies this break._

_"Would you like if I came to see your mother?"_ Elairya whispered, syrupy sweet, as she crawled on top of him and pinched his nipples, licked his chest. _"Maybe we'll have a picnic by the lilies, wouldn't that be romantic?"_

_Rhys is helping me to improve my sparring as well. He challenged me to a formal duel next weekend. I'm really looking forward to the chance to showcase my skills._

_"If I lose, I'll torment you,"_ hissed Rhys as he cracked the belt down across Vada's ass. _"But if you lose, I'll punish you."_

_As you keep telling me to do, I'm making more of an effort to open up and broaden my horizons. Last weekend, I attended a concert in the Scarlet Mansion. Corbin's band was playing. It was an interesting experience._

The pungent smell of grinjal, making him lightheaded. Hallert Thorner's voice, echoing off the walls, his low croon resonating in Vada's bones. His eyes had pinned Vada in place. He'd looked straight at Vada while singing those saccharine lyrics...

Vada shook his head to clear it. He didn't want to think about Thorner, right now. Though perhaps it was yet another thing he could tell his mother.

_I've also been working hard on tutoring other Devotees. There's one Devotee who has made marked improvement. He got the worst score in the last all-Centarium exam, but has making great strides since then. I'm very proud of his effort._

The feeling of Thorner's tongue inside him, setting the exquisitely sensitive skin on fire. Thorner pushing down on him, fucking him into the desk. Thorner laughing, bright and innocent. Thorner telling him that he should enjoy sex...

Vada gripped his head, furious with himself.

_I really do miss you. Will you come to campus during the Cotillion? I would be very pleased if you did, but of course you needn't strain yourself._

_Send me pictures, and tell me how you are doing._

_Lots of love,_

_Vada_

Done. Vada closed the letter, sealing it. Then he folded it into a winged bird shape, and the Fashioning miracle on the letter activated. He tossed it out the window and it took flight, along with all the other letters that streamed in and out of the Centarium on a daily basis. It would fly all the way to the elven lands and find his mother's cottage by the lake with the lilies.

Vada's throat tightened. For a wild moment, he flashed back to his childhood. Chasing fireflies by the lake, cutting firewood for his mother, laughing together over dinners of vegetable stew. Tears pricked his eyes, and furious, ashamed, he wiped them away.

He wasn't a child anymore. He could never go back to those days.

* * *

By next Miraday, his mother sent her reply.

_My dear Future Chosen One,_

_Your letter, like always, has warmed Mother's heart. I seem to hear from you less and less as you grow older. I suppose that's the fate of all boys and their mothers, but that doesn't make it any less bitter._

_I am glad to hear that you're enjoying school, like always, and I'm very proud of how well you're doing. A meeting with the Ignis Saints! Soon I'll have to call you my Brave Ignis Saint. How do you like the sound of that?_

_I would love if Elairya comes. It has been so long since I've seen her. And of course, Mother is wishing you best of luck in your duel! I'm sure you will win, my brave Saint!_

_You always study so hard, so it's wonderful to hear that you are branching out. Please continue to help this worst student! You certainly have your work cut out for you._

_I have some more good news for you. I met a very kind man at the market. A human, as they all seem to be lately. His name is Roger and he works on a farm. He sold me some of the most delicious eggs I've ever eaten. He owns a beautiful little collie named Heather. I can't wait for you to meet them over break! I've been talking his ear off about you and he's gotten very curious about you._

_Lots of love,_

_Mother_

Vada sighed as he scanned the letter, trying to place where the disappointment rising inside him came from. A childish place, perhaps, that he'd never truly managed to suppress. The hope that Mother would somehow _see_ through his cheerful words and find his real pain, his real torment, and swoop in and save him.

Idiot. He wasn't a child anymore. He had long learned that his mother could not protect him from everything. She could barely take care of herself. Another man. Vada was not confident that they'd be together by the time break arrived.

Nor had Mother mentioned anything about coming during the Cotillion. Whether she came to campus during that occasion was very hit-or-miss. She hadn't come last year. Perhaps that meant she would come this year? But she hadn't mentioned it in the letter...

Why did it matter? Mother could not save him. Nobody could. If he saw her, he would just have to pretend that everything was all right.

Taking a deep breath, Vada stashed the letter with all the others. Then he turned and left his dorm. Headed for the medusid that was waiting for him as it always did, every morning.

It would be even more painful today, after that letter from Mother. Vada clenched his hands into fists and walked faster.

* * *

Hal had wanted to quietly "stumble upon" the duel, then "hang around" because he had nothing better to do. But Cinda quickly caught on to his intention to watch, and practically dragged him there.

"Who said I wanted to be here?" Hal grumbled, pretending that the last thing he wanted was to join the crowd in the arena and that he _totally_ had something better to do right now.

"You're so transparent, Hal," said Cinda. "Come on, you love watching Enforcer duels, don't you?"

"No, I don't." Hal rolled his eyes. This much was truth.

But it was different today, because Vada was one of the duelists.

The arena was a great floating ampitheater that usually hovered somewhere around Ghestruel's midsection. Because it was so huge, it could seat students from the other Platforms. Hal saw a lot of unfamiliar faces wearing the badges of different Platforms on their jackets.

The seats filled more and more, mostly with shrieking girls. Hal's head started to hurt. It was a very hot day, too, and sweat was gathering beneath his jacket's high collar.

Then the duelists strode onto the arena. They were already clad in full armor, Vada in black spikes and a white cape, Rhys in silvery white with blue gems.

The two bowed to one another, and exchanged the traditional greetings that were swallowed in the shriek from the fangirls. It was plenty obvious whose side most of this lot were on.

The same side as Hal. Hal swallowed as he watched Vada began to move, quick and elegant even inside that armor. His cape swirled after him as he dashed, parried, thrusted. Energy slices from both swords flashed across the arena, blazing white for Rhys, black as night for Vada.

Hal couldn't take his eyes off Vada. He felt sick with himself for it. _I'm not in love with him,_ Hal chanted in his mind as he watched Vada do a backflip to avoid Rhys's latest attack. _I'm not in love with him!_

_I don't find him so beautiful, so entrancing, that I can't take his eyes off him for even a moment._

Vada spun a full circle, lashing out a spiral of miraculous energy. It knocked Rhys off his feet. Now Vada charged, running across the arena floor so quickly it was like he was flying. He jabbed his sword forward and the blade extended, augmented by miraculous energy, and knocked Rhys's helmet off his head. Rhys was red-faced, panting. He lifted his sword to parry, but Vada was too quick. With a ferocious slash, the sword flew from Rhys's hands. Vada pressed the tip of Dark Star to Rhys's chest.

Silence reigned over the arena. Then a great shriek rose from the fangirls.

Hal couldn't help it; caught in the moment, he too jumped to his feet and clapped. At least until Cinda shot him an odd look. Only Cinda had come today, since Rodmont was still apparently angry about Hal calling the band shitty. Not that Hal cared.

The fangirls began to flood the arena, eager to talk to Vada. Vada circulated among them, accepting handshakes and flowers, smiling, his full charm turned on. Hal ran down the steps, intent on talking to Vada as well. It had been a while since he'd gotten to, since Vada had stopped coming to extra lessons. But Hal hadn't stopped attending.

Hal shoved and elbowed his way through the fangirls, who screamed curses at him. He rather felt like he had during the time when Vada's fangirls had wanted to murder him. On his shoulder, Pency puffed herself up and flapped her wings. Rather than intimidating the fangirls away, this earned her shrieks of, "So cuuuuute!"

Then the girls started trying to poke and pinch Pency, and Hal hurried faster for her sake as well. Pency was in full tears by the time Hal came near Vada.

Vada was talking to Maska Glale the Enforcement Practicum teacher. He was still smiling, and Hal hung back, drinking in the view.

At least until Vada noticed him. His golden eyes widened a little. "Thorner?"

"Imilai!" Hal ran toward Vada, grinning. "That was great!"

"You came here? I thought you didn't care about this sort of thing."

"You thought wrong! Anyway, you were amazing!"

"Was I?" Vada's mouth twitched. "Say, what's the matter with Pency?"

Oh, Pency was still bawling on Hal's shoulder. Hal quickly patted her. "The girls. They thought Pency was cute, so they were trying to grab her and shit."

"I see." Vada's eyebrows drew together. Then he bent down toward Pency. "It's all right, Pency. They were in the wrong. Even if you're cute, they don't have the right to touch you if you don't want them to."

"Vada!" Pency cried harder.

"Sorry..." Vada raked a hand through his spikes, looking more than a little awkward. "I was trying to cheer her up."

"Oh, she is happy now," Hal said, grinning as he patted Pency. "Believe me, I know the difference between her sad tears and her happy tears."

"That's good. I would have hated to make her sad." That brief smile flitted across Vada's face - not his charming smile, but his real, barely-there smile. It made Hal's stomach flip around.

"Imilai." This was Maska Glale, staring at Hal with a very weird look on her face. "Don't linger too long here."

"Ah." Vada started. He looked as though he were coming awake from a dream. "Of course, Saint Glale." A glance toward Hal, almost looking guilty. "Later, Thorner..."

Then he turned and left, swirling his cape behind him. Hal tried and failed to suppress the disappointment that raked through him.

"Hal," Pency said softly, staring at Hal with oddly troubled eyes.

Hal shook his head to clear it and trotted in the opposite direction.

* * *

"You understand, right? I said I would torment you." Rhys was wearing that nightmarish grin again, a face that Vada had never seen before on his closest peer. Until now. Until he'd gotten used to it.

"Rhys, please, it was a good duel, you fought with honor..."

"I know," Rhys said, his grin widening. "You know I'm just looking for an excuse to do these things to you?"

"Rhys." Vada swallowed back tears. "How long...were you always..."

"I always did think you were beautiful. It's part of what made you so damn, unforgivably perfect."

Today, Vada was alone with Rhys, aside from the Lord Superior Hierophant, who sat in a corner touching himself as always. Vada knelt on the desk, ass raised, his hands bound in front of him. He was in a female uniform with an illegally-short miniskirt and thigh-high stockings. And frilly pink panties exposed in his current position.

Even worse, today Rhys had forced him to wear makeup: liner and mascara around his eyes, blush on his cheeks, red paint on his lips. And he'd positioned a mirror in front of Vada so Vada could perfectly see his made-up face.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity that the Lord Superior Hierophant gave me," purred Rhys, and the Lord Superior Hierophant nodded. Tears brimmed in Vada's eyes, but he tried to hold them in. Not this early.

Rhys's hands moved behind Vada. Vada tensed. Rhys flipped the skirt up, exposing his panties completely. Then reached around and squeezed Vada's cock, still encased inside the panties. Vada cried out, his body tensing, as he pushed forward into Rhys's hand. Damn him, damn him, _damn him..._

_Slut. Whore._ That was all he was. Any and all triumph he'd felt from winning the duel had long faded.

"I used to want nothing more than to be able to beat you in a duel," Rhys said, still intently massaging Vada's cock through the panties. "But now, it doesn't seem to matter as much anymore. Because I _have_ beaten you. Because you're like this..."

Vada squeezed his eyes shut, but they snapped open again when Rhys slid his thumbs through the waistband of the panties and tugged them down.

Vada stared at his own face, his trembling lips, his huge eyes, his markings growing darker and more prominent. He'd never hated himself more.

The cool air of the office brushed his cock and his bare ass, making him harder. Then Rhys gripped his thighs, forcing him to spread his legs further apart, and Vada blushed as he was exposed. Chuckling, Rhys traced the rim of his quivering entrance with a finger. "Already wet. You're such a slut, Vada."

Rhys opened a drawer, pulled something out. Vada wished he could see, but at the same time didn't want to. Anyway, he felt it well enough when the hard, plastic tip pushed against his opening. He saw his own lips part, his eyes widen from shock. And the blush rising in his face.

"No," Vada began, but it was too late; Rhys shoved the thing fully inside. Vada groaned as his insides stretched around the vibrator, swallowing it deeper. It was round in shape, an egg vibe. He hated that he could recognize it just by feel.

Rhys was not much one for excess ceremony or foreplay; he clicked the button and the vibrator started working. The sensation of it humming inside him, spreading waves of pleasure through his entire body, made Vada toss his head back and cry out.

"Mmn, nn." Involuntary, he dropped his hips, trying to rub his cock on the desk, but a slap to the ass made him stop.

"You don't cum until I say you can," hissed Rhys.

"Yes, yes," Vada gasped.

"Yes, _sir."_

"Yes, sir."

The tears pricked his eyes again, fiercer this time. Having to submit to Rhys like this, addressing him like a superior, was too much. Because in his heart of hearts, unlike the Hierophants or the Saints, he didn't view Rhys as his superior. Rhys was the _second_ -best duelist at the Centarium. Vada didn't owe him any obedience.

No, he did. Because Vada was a filthy slutty incubus, and Rhys was the man fucking him. He could never forget that. _That_ was the most basic truth of his pathetic existence.

Thorner's voice whispered in his mind again, but sounded so far away. Yet insanely, desperately, Vada clung on to it like a lifeline. That was right. He'd said he would see Thorner. He would, he _would,_ and Thorner would...

He didn't know what. All he knew was that sex with Hallert Thorner didn't leave him feeling completely disgusted with himself.

Maybe it might cleanse him, if even a little bit.

"You've been very naughty, Vada," Rhys breathed, dragging Vada back to the real world. "I'm going to punish you for defeating me. Why am I punishing you?"

"F-for defeating you, sir."

"Good boy." Another, harder slap to his ass. It drove the egg vibe deeper inside, making Vada whimper.

More slaps rained down; Rhys had fallen to spanking him in earnest. Vada twitched and gasped with each spank, squeezing his eyes shut so he didn't have to see his face in the mirror. But his eyes flew open with each especially painful slap, and he could see how red he'd become, the tears in his eyes and the saliva dripping from his lips.

_Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic..._

Rhys moved his slaps lower, down from Vada's ass to his thighs, rhythmically alternating from one thigh to the other. Vada cried out, already shoving his ass backwards to get it closer to Rhys's hand. Damn him, he really was a slut to the core.

Rhys slid his hand between Vada's thighs, forcing Vada to spread his legs even wider. Exposing even more of him. The vibrator went deeper inside, almost pressed against Vada's prostate. The buzzing was driving him insane. Combined with the growing heat from his spanked ass, it was making his cock jump and twitch. But he couldn't cum, not yet; Rhys hadn't given the order.

A hard slap to his inner thigh made Vada jolt. "Nnh!"

Another slap, to his other thigh. Rhys was spanking so close to his balls; it was making him even harder. Then Rhys drew his hand away and Vada couldn't bite down his whine of protest in time.

Rhys laughed harshly and slapped Vada's ass again. "Little slut. This is a punishment."

"I'm, I'm sorry, sir," Vada panted onto the desk, hating the mad, desperate need he saw in his own face.

Rhys fetched something else from a drawer, and Vada felt it tap his ass. Something heavy and round, made of wood. The hairbrush that Rhys sometimes used to spank him.

Vada tried drawing away - no, he lifted his ass, moving it closer - _no -_

"P-please," Vada said, though he didn't know what he was begging for.

"Tell me why you're being punished again, naughty boy." The hairbrush tapped again, setting the already reddened, inflamed skin on fire. And he hadn't even given it a proper swing yet.

"F-for, for...," Vada choked out.

"For what?" A harder, more insistent tap.

"For...there is no shame," Vada found himself choking out, "in losing a duel where you fought with everything you ha - _aahhh!"_

For Rhys brought the hairbrush down, hard, with a resounding crack across his left ass cheek. The searing pain that shot through Vada was unreal. Rhys's hand was bad, but the hairbrush stung and burned even more, and over a wider area. Vada screamed aloud as the pain built and throbbed.

Another hard smack, to his other cheek. Vada's cock jumped. The vibe pushed even deeper inside him, pressing right against his prostate.

"Giving me lip during a punishment?" sneered Rhys. "I've changed my mind. I was going to give you just twenty, but now you've earned thirty."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, p-please, please forgive me," Vada gasped. "I'm sorry, sir - "

"Keep count. If you lose track I'll start over again. Those two didn't count, by the way."

The hairbrush fell again, nearly on top of the first place it had smacked. With a strangled cry, Vada managed to shout, "One!"

The next fell, pushing the vibrator even harder, more insistently against his prostate. "T-two!"

Three, four, five, six, seven... The pain built and built, throbbing through his skin into his blood and bones, mixing with the buzzing pleasure from the vibrator. Pressing against his prostate, the vibrations shot through his entire body. Vada felt as though he might explode.

The eighth stroke landed on his thigh, a more sensitive, tender place. Vada screamed, high and thin, and it was then that his orgasm burned through him. He jerked and whined and moaned as cum splashed onto the desk, more and more cum spraying from his cock as the vibrator worked.

Two hard, back-to-back blows slapped across his ass. "I didn't give you permission to cum."

"I'm sorry, please forgive me, sir," Vada sobbed. The tears were openly running, smearing his makeup. He could see the hideous sight too well in the mirror. At least until more tears flooded his eyes, blurring his vision. He welcomed them.

"Ten more, you naughty boy." The hairbrush smacked again, sending a searing pain through his ass - but making his limp cock twitch. _Not again, not again._

"Nine," Vada gasped. This was never going to end, was it? He'd probably cum again before it was over, and that would earn him more spankings, at least until the Lord Superior Hierophant decided to step in and put a stop to it.

Ten made his cock jump even more, and drove the vibrator more insistently against his prostate. Vada wailed, saliva dripping in strings onto the desk. Disgusting, he was filthy to the core...

_Thorner,_ he thought as he counted eleven. _I will see Thorner. I will see him and...and..._

And he didn't know what. But it would be better than this, no matter what.

For now, that was all he could ask for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always for the comments, kudos, and bookmarks. It really warms my heart to know people are reading and enjoying my story.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update. =_= I'm such a flake...but this is a chapter with lots of Hal/Vada interaction, so enjoy!

Hal yawned as he bent over his textbook. He had a quiz in his Ways of the Nations class tomorrow, and he needed to brush up on the funerary customs of the Wakaka people. Did they put corpses in boats and push them down their sacred river, or was that the Wanara people?

Hal's head buzzed. Then drooped. Why did he give a shit? He ought to just sleep and give up on studying for the night, who cared what score he got...

Something whooshed through his open bay window. And poked him in the forehead.

"Ow, Pency!"

"That wasn't me!" Pency squeaked.

Hal opened his eyes. It was shaped like a bird, but made of folded paper. A letter.

Who was writing him? Hal never got letters from home. His parents were dead, and his remaining relatives couldn't read.

With trembling fingers, Hal unfolded the letter. It was short, simple. Not a letter from far away, but more like a note that the Devotees passed amongst each other.

_Meet in the same place tonight 11 PM. - V. Imilai_

Hal's heart slammed.

"What is it? What is it?" Pency fluttered about Hal's shoulders. "From Vada? He wants to meet? Where?"

"None of your fucking business," Hal grumbled, standing up. He expected this to start a tirade about cursing, followed by a big crying jag, during which he could sneak out undetected. But to his surprise, Pency was looking at him with that same strange light in her eyes as earlier.

"What? What's the fucking matter?" Maybe more cursing would do it.

But it didn't.

"Hal...could you possibly..." Pency's eyes grew huge. She waggled her sucker legs and squealed. "You're in love with Vada!"

_"I am not!"_ Hal roared. He lunged for her, but Pency flew out of his grip.

"That must be it! Yes, that makes sense!" Pency cried, bouncing up and down in delight. "You're in love! You're in love! That's why you wanted to see him duel. That's why you always look so happy when you talk to him!"

"I do not look happy when I talk to him!"

"Hal, Hal!" Pency giggled and shook her entire body. "I know you. And I know when you're happy."

"You're lying!" Hal cried, his face growing redder and redder. "Why would I ever be in love with that arrogant jackass?"

"I don't know! The heart works in mysterious ways," crowed Pency.

"Mine doesn't!" Hal yelled foolishly.

Pency just giggled some more. Hal's fury grew and grew. Had he really been so transparent that _Pency,_ of all people, could see? No, wait. What was there to be transparent about? He wasn't in love with Vada! Sexually attracted to him, maybe. Impressed by him, maybe.

But there was nothing romantic. Love was - love was huge and transcendent -

And Hal had sworn he would never love again.

Pency wouldn't stop giggling. It was a much worse sound than her crying. Hal spewed a stream of the worse curses he knew, but she _still_ wouldn't stop giggling. Damn! He'd thought cursing was as surefire method to get her to cry. Evidently not when she was too cheesed by the (false!) idea of Hal in love.

Finally, Hal could take no more. He grabbed the letter and ripped it into pieces. Pency's eyes grew wide.

"But Hal, he wants to see you!"

"I don't want to see him," Hal declared. "He can deal with it."

With that, Hal sat back down at his desk and returned to the funeral rites of the Wakaka.

* * *

Foolishly, Vada remained waiting until well after midnight. Maybe Thorner was just being his usual lazy self. Maybe he'd lost track of time.

By the time three in the morning rolled around, though, Vada had to concede that even Thorner couldn't be _that_ shiftless.

Thorner just wasn't coming.

It made a cold, constricting feeling fill Vada's chest. He trudged back to the Scarlet Mansion, and when he got to his dorm, rather than head to bed, he flung himself into a chair and stared up at the ceiling.

Xargo slinked by, exuding worry, and Vada stroked his beast's head. But it didn't calm the discontent raging inside him.

Why - why did this hurt him so much? Thorner had never _promised_ he would come. Or maybe the letter had gotten lost. Even so - Vada hated to admit - he had staked so much on this meeting. After that particularly awful morning with Rhys, he'd wanted something, anything, to wash the taste of all those "Yes, sir"s out of his mouth. He'd looked forward to an evening of blissful fun with Thorner.

_Fun._ Yes, he'd wanted to have fun. Just like Thorner wanted of him. Evidently that wasn't enough for Thorner.

Stupid of Vada. Why should he have expected more? When did he start to expect more from Thorner than all of the other men who used him? Because Thorner didn't have the Lord Superior Hierophant's approval? Because Thorner had bothered to ask if he enjoyed it?

He shouldn't have read more into it. In the end, he was still a foolish child, desperately grasping for straws, for proof of mercy, of kindness, where it didn't exist.

Vada didn't sleep that night. He trudged to the medusid in the morning and went through the motions with the Lord Superior Hierophant and Hierophants Pember and Shell. A typical morning, but he cried more than he usually did with these three.

It had nothing to do with their filthy touches, their cocks in his mouth and hands and ass. Just everything to do with the disappointment that he had no right to feel, was _foolish_ to feel.

As if sensing his mood, they were almost gentle with him. The Lord Superior Hierophant even patted his head and praised him for doing a good job. It just made Vada cry harder.

It was just a parody of concern. They had no real feeling for him, aside from seeing him as a toy to be used. Thorner was the same way. Vada ought to make his peace with that.

Yet after classes ended, Vada excused himself to his peers and walked to extra lessons.

Why? What was he hoping for?

As Vada stepped into the Offensive Miraclism class, he saw that Thorner was already there. He was talking to a first year, a nine-year-old girl swinging her legs back and forth and scowling a little.

"Come on, you're just a kid," Thorner said. "You've got plenty of chances ahead of you. You'll get it eventually."

"Doesn't feel like I will," grumbled the girl.

"You want to hear a story?" asked Thorner.

The girl shrugged.

Thorner sank to a crouch before the girl and embarked on a tale about a Rusaida warrior who'd wanted to catch a phoenix. He waited around and around for years to see a phoenix, but never did. Then finally he realized that he had to get up and chase the phoenix. He did so for even more years, thought of giving up, but finally caught the phoenix.

"After he caught the phoenix, the phoenix rained her feathers down upon the plains of Rusaida," Thorner said. "The feathers transformed into the first warriors of Rusaida."

"Cool." The girl's eyes were huge as coins. "Can I be a Rusaida warrior?"

"Uh..." Thorner coughed a bit. "Don't you want to be an Enforcer?"

"A Rusaida warrior sounds cooler. They're made from phoenix feathers!"

Evidently, Thorner's story had the entirely wrong effect. Vada allowed himself a slight smile, before quickly suppressing it.

He walked over to Thorner. The girl's eyes widened. "It's Vada Imilai!" she squeaked.

"Huh?" Thorner jumped like he'd been stung by a bee. He whirled around, his dark eyes met Vada's -

"Oh, hey, Imilai," Thorner said.

"Thorner," Vada said.

"What are you doing here?" Thorner asked. His voice was bright and polite. A tone he'd never before taken with Vada.

"I..." _I wanted to see you._ "I wanted to check on your progress."

"Well, I'm doing great," Thorner said. "Thanks." Then he got up and sat next to the girl. Vada made to sit next to him, but Thorner waved him off.

"You don't have to stick around. I'm good on my own."

"I'd still like to check in on you," said Vada. "Make sure you haven't been slacking in my absence."

"Geez, get off my case." Thorner rolled his eyes, then flashed the first-year girl a grin. She still appeared awed by Vada, but managed an answering smile.

The teacher arrived, and the lessons began. Through it all, Vada noticed that Thorner was studiously avoiding even looking at him. He did tend to try to ignore Vada during extra lessons, which was better than ogling, but something seemed extreme about today's ignoring. He spent nearly the entire time talking to the first-year girl, helping her with her work, even demonstrating his ability to create fire. When Vada praised Thorner for maintaining a fire for several minutes, Thorner didn't even reply.

Had he not heard? Or was he ignoring Vada?

It went much the same during Enforcement Practicum, during which Thorner immediately paired off with the girl. As a first-year she wasn't allowed to use even school armor, but Thorner spent the time showing her various steps and approaches. His Rusaida warrior forms, Vada noticed. The girl was starry-eyed again, completely ignoring Vada. Just like Thorner.

By the end of extra lessons, Vada was furious. With Thorner, with himself. Why? Why did he hope for more?

As Thorner headed across the bridge to his dorm, Vada decided to act. He intercepted Thorner halfway across the bridge, swinging in front and sweeping out his cape. "Thorner," he said.

"Oh." Thorner wrinkled his face. "'Scuse me, Imilai, but I'm really tired. I really do want to sleep."

"This will be quick."

"Okay, sure." Thorner tried to march on ahead. Vada stepped in his way.

"Ugh." Thorner yawned loudly and visibly. Just a show. Vada was not deterred.

"Did you receive my letter?"

"What letter?" Vada allowed himself a moment's hope - maybe Thorner simply hadn't gotten it. But then Thorner's eyes widened in mock-recognition. "Yeah, that one? Sure, I got it. What about it?"

"I...it..." Vada struggled to calm down, to control the tide of words threatening to spill out of him. "If you did, then why didn't you come?"

His face burned as he spoke. Why did he have to sound so...so _pathetic?_

"I wasn't in the mood," Thorner said, sounding quite grumpy. "Okay? Now can I go to bed?"

Again he tried to march past Vada. This time Vada grabbed him by the shoulder.

"I didn't owe you anything," Vada said, gripping Thorner tight. "I wanted to meet to have _fun._ Isn't that what you said I should do?"

"It's not about what I want - " Thorner began, and Vada was almost relieved by the flood of passion in his voice. Then Thorner shook his head, glared to the side, and said, "I wasn't in the mood."

"You could have at least told me!"

"For fuck's sake, Imilai!" Thorner exploded. "Why the hell do you sound so much like a jilted girlfriend?"

Vada let go of Thorner. Then, he didn't have to think. A wild buzzing had filled his head. He punched Thorner in the face.

Thorner staggered backward, but was instantly on his feet again. He lunged for Vada, swinging his own fist. Vada caught it. But Thorner kicked out, hitting Vada in the stomach. Vada doubled over, gagging in pain.

Thorner aimed another punch, this time at Vada's head. Vada jumped up and tackled Thorner in the midsection, knocking Thorner to the floor. He punched Thorner's face again, but this time Thorner's punch connected, cracking against his cheekbone. Vada lurched backward, Thorner kicked him off and lunged.

Vada met him eagerly, their hands linking as they grappled. There was something basic, elemental, almost soothing about getting into a fight with another student. Much easier to deal with than the tide of complicated emotions his _jilting_ had left him with.

Thorner pushed Vada down the length of the bridge; he had slightly more muscle mass than Vada. An advantage. But Vada was swifter. He kicked out, catching Thorner in the kneecap, sending Thorner down to the floor. Another kick, this time to Thorner's shoulder. But Thorner lurched back to his feet and punched Vada in the chest, knocking Vada back.

Vada swung his own fist -

Just as a voice barked, _"Enough!"_

Vada stilled his blow just in time. Thorner did too. They both stared down at the balcony below the bridge.

A dark-skinned, red-haired woman stood on the balcony, muscular arms crossed over her chest. Saint Maska Glale.

"Imilai. Thorner," she barked. "Come with me."

"Shit! He started it!" Thorner shouted, jabbing his finger at Vada. Vada glared at him, though he had no defense. He had thrown the first punch, after all.

And he still didn't regret it.

"I don't care who started it," Saint Glale snapped. "A fight is a fight. And you're going to get punished for it."

_Punished._ Before he could stop himself, a shudder raced down Vada's spine. In his mind the hairbrush was descending again, the egg vibe was working inside him, he was calling Rhys _sir..._

Saint Glale saw his shudder, but misinterpreted it. "Maybe you should have thought about your perfect record before you got in _another_ fight with Thorner, Imilai."

"Fuck him," Thorner snarled. Blood was leaking from his nose, but he didn't seem to care. Vada was sure he didn't look much better.

"Get going! Now!" Glale barked. Vada glared at Thorner before vaulting over the bridge railing and landing on the balcony, cape spreading behind him. Thorner made the jump too, though landed much less gracefully.

The two glared at each other as they straightened.

"Another session in the Armor Vault," Glale said, glaring between the two of them, "ought to straighten you two out."

* * *

Fuck, shit, fuck, damn!

The Armor Vault, again! The same damn place where all this had started, because Hal had been an idiot and spilled that dumb aphrodisiac all over Vada and then they'd had sex for the first time and now -

Now Hal was in love with the arrogant jerk? Wrong, wrong, wrong, and _wrong!_

He reported to the Armor Vault feeling like he was walking into his own execution. Glale and Vada were already waiting for him. Vada got the list, Hal got the globe-fish, and they went inside.

As soon as the doors slammed after them, Hal glared at Vada. Vada glared back.

"Hey," Hal said. "What happened to your bruises?" He was sure he'd put a few good marks on Vada's face during the fight. For his part, Hal's face still stung and he wore a bandage over his nose.

Vada twitched. "I'm an elf. I heal quickly."

That was right, Vada's other half was elf. Curious, Hal blurted, "Was your mother or father the elf? I mean, was your parent an incubus or succubus?"

Vada flinched like he'd been slapped. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"I just want to know," Hal said.

"Funny. I thought you wanted nothing to do with me." Vada's tone was bitter.

"I don't," Hal said too quickly.

"Good. Because I don't want anything to do with you. Let's just get this over with."

They worked in silence for the most part. Very quickly, they found the first item on their list, a ball-and-chain belonging to the armor set Bamboo in Snow. They found their next item, a set of animated cups, soon afterward. However, Hal got a bit too enthusiastic about trying to capture the cups, and they scattered and scampered into the depths of the armor piles.

"You moron," Vada seethed at him. "I told you not to give chase! Ambush them. You're a Rusaida warrior. Surely you know about hunting."

"I just wanted to finish it quickly," Hal said, grumpy.

"As do I! And finishing it quickly means we do everything the _proper_ way, understand?"

Hal was so angry he shot out the first thing he thought would wound Vada. "Why were you acting like a jilted girlfriend?"

He tensed, preparing for another punch, but Vada merely ground his teeth together and said, "I was not."

"You totally were. _Why didn't you tell me?"_ Hal mocked.

Vada rounded on Hal, his face chalk-white. He lifted his hand and again Hal tensed, carefully raising his fists. Again, the expected hit didn't come.

"Let's move on. The cups will reconvene eventually. Those in the same set don't like to be separated." Briskly, Vada whipped around, his cape spinning with him. "We'll try for the gold monkey figurine next."

"Hey, you're ignoring me!"

"Yes, one tends to do that when it is simply not worth answering an inane question."

Hal chewed the inside of his cheek. Was Vada trying to make Hal hate him? In that case, Hal ought to welcome it. He'd been trying his damnedest to convince himself that he wasn't in love with Vada, and it would be a lot of easier if he went back to hating Mr. Perfect.

But still, he really did burn to know why Vada had reacted so badly to Hal's...well, jilting. If he wanted sex for fun, it would be one thing, but he seemed so damned _disappointed._ More than he really ought to be. Like he'd been expecting something...emotional...from Hal.

It couldn't be. Hal's breath stopped as he stared at Vada marching on ahead. Did Vada...was Vada also...?

_What do you mean, also?_ whispered a voice that sounded rather too much like Rayton's. Hal gripped his locket and ran after Vada.

They didn't find the gold monkey figurine, or the boots belonging to the armor set Demon Slayer, or the miraculous halberd called Forever Melancholy. In fact, for a very long stretch, they didn't find anything at all. Hal's eyes began to glaze. His fingers ached from sifting through armor. He was sure they had started walking in circles.

At length, Vada sighed and gazed at the ceiling. He stopped walking. Hal stopped too, surprised to see Mr. Perfect giving up.

"My mother," Vada said. "My mother is the elf."

"Huh?" Hal said.

Vada looked peeved. "You asked."

"I thought you weren't going to tell me."

"Well, I'm telling you now."

"That's weird, though," Hal said. "I thought incubi couldn't get elves pregnant?"

"I thought that, too," Vada sighed, then adjusted his cape. "It's strange. Mother tells it like a romantic fairy tale. She met him, and against their natures they fell in love. Until he died shortly after my birth. I don't believe it really happened like that."

"I...I see," Hal said, not sure what else to say.

"What about your parents? Since we're on that subject," Vada snapped, rounding on Hal.

Hal chewed the inside of his cheek. He didn't want to talk parents or anything personal with Vada. He might fall deeper in - well, he wasn't in love, so what did it matter?

"They were Rusaida Clansmen."

"That's obvious." Vada sounded peeved again. "Hold on, were? Are they dead?"

"Yeah. A raid by a rival clan." Hal scowled and started walking again. "Long time ago. I was eleven."

"I'm sorry," Vada said softly.

"I'm pretty much over it." Hal clutched his locket, thinking of the one that he wasn't over, that he would _never_ be over.

"What about that locket, then? I notice that you hold it, sometimes..."

"It's none of your fucking business," Hal said, too brusque.

"I see." Vada turned away. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize." Hal kept walking. "Come on, Imilai. Let's keep looking."

Vada drew in a deep breath and started walking, but Hal noticed that he was following Hal's lead now. He seemed to be deep in thought. He'd wrapped his cape around himself, as if he were cold.

"You okay?" The question escaped before Hal could stop it.

Vada started. "I'm fine. I just - I was thinking."

He sounded disarmed, much less certain and confident than Hal was used to. Even during their sex, Vada usually took the lead, even if Hal was doing the penetrating. It was strange to see him so...so vulnerable.

Did the Armor Vault have that effect on him, or what?

"Thorner, do you...do you not want me or something?" Vada said, slow and tentative. "I mean, the previous times, did you only agree because I owed you?"

Hal felt like he'd been punched again. "Huh? Where the fuck's this coming from?"

"I'm just wondering why you weren't in the mood, as you said."

"Because sometimes someone can just not be in the mood." Hal rolled his eyes. Then more gently, "It's nothing to do with you, okay? It doesn't mean I thought you were bad or anything."

"I just don't understand you, Thorner. I would understand if you weren't attracted to me, but you are. Yet you didn't want to...I thought you'd jump at the chance." Vada bit his lip, then shook his head. He looked almost - innocent - in his confusion.

"Is that what's bothering you?" Hal burst out. "Are you offended or something?"

"I'm not offended," Vada said quickly. "I just don't understand. You're inconsistent and strange. Are you attracted to me or not?"

"I am," Hal said, "but why does it matter to you if I am?"

"Because I need to make sense of your nonsensical behavior." The glare was back in Vada's eyes, almost relieving Hal. At least he knew better how to deal with Vada when he was angry.

"I'm attracted to you," Hal said, "but I don't want to be. Does that make sense?"

"Why don't you want to be?"

Involuntarily, Hal gripped the locket tight. And he couldn't make himself let go. He stared at Vada, and Vada stared at him. In the dim lighting of the Armor Vault, Vada's eyes gleamed so bright.

"Because," Hal said, his head swimming, "I don't want to be in love with you."

There. He'd said it. The words he had been running from this entire time, until he could run no longer. He wanted to sink through the floor and die. He wanted to rise through the ceiling and never stop floating.

"In love." Vada's mouth twitched. "You think...you're in love with me?"

"But I don't want to be," Hal said, more desperately.

"Ha." To Hal's surprise, Vada snorted a laugh. Short, at first, but then he couldn't seem to make himself to stop. His shoulders shook and the peals echoed off the piles of armor, growing ever more bitter.

Hal grew hot around the middle. He couldn't make himself move or speak.

"You fool. In _love?"_ Vada laughed again. "You really are a stupid virgin. Had sex three times so you think you have to be in love? A stupid prude of a virgin."

"That's - that's not it," Hal stammered, desperately trying to defend himself. "Are you listening to me? I'm saying I don't _want_ to be - "

"And I am saying that you are _not_ in love. You are attracted by my pheromones."

"I'm not!" Hal yelled, enraged now. He knew he ought to take the out that Vada had given him, but it infuriated him - to reduce his complex mix of feelings to just _pheromones?_ No, there was far more to it than that.

"You are," Vada said, cold and terrible. "It appears I've seduced you a little too successfully. Now, just like my mother, you believe there to be emotions when none exist. _Love._ When I have pheromones that can compel your attraction, how can _love_ possibly exist?"

"It's not just about the sex to me," Hal said, fury making his voice rise. "You weren't using your pheromones during the duel, were you?"

Vada twitched, but said nothing.

"I like watching you even when you're not actively trying to seduce me. I like seeing how cool you are, how impressive, how - " Hal blushed even as he spoke. All sentiments he'd never dared say aloud, and each one tore at his heart. Felt like a betrayal to Rayton.

"You like seeing it," Vada said, his voice low and dull, "because you like the contrast between my outward appearance and what I really am."

"That's, that's not - "

"Is it? _Is it?"_ Vada stepped closer, his eyes glittering with fury. "Think hard and ask yourself. Is that _really_ not the reason?"

"I - " Hal couldn't answer.

Because Vada was right.

He liked the cool Vada, but only because he liked seeing Mr. Perfect's cool facade dissolve when Vada was in the throes of pleasure, gasping and moaning and twitching because of Hal. He liked Vada's stiff control because he liked to see it crumble into nothing beneath Hal's touch, Hal's mouth, Hal's cock.

Hal's silence said it all. Vada laughed mirthlessly.

"You don't love me, Thorner. I never want to hear that sentiment from you again."

"Good! Because I don't want to love you. So thanks," Hal said, his ears ringing.

"Why don't you want to?" Vada said, but in a listless tone like he didn't really care.

"I already have somebody," Hal said recklessly, squeezing the locket.

Vada sneered. "A dead somebody, I suppose?"

Hal felt like he'd been punched in the stomach.

Another laugh. Hal started to hate the sound. "It's not hard to guess. Why else would you be carrying around a locket? Why else would you be so afraid of betraying them for me? Did you have a little girlfriend or boyfriend back with the Rusaida people? Did they die in the same raid as your parents?"

"Imilai." Hal's fists shook. "Do you want me to punch you again?"

"Punch me and I will fry you with lightning."

"Do it. Then I'll remember what an enormous _asshole_ you are, and then I can get over this fake so-called love of mine."

Vada's eyes widened ever-so-slightly. Then he whirled around, flaring his cape behind him. "Let's go on. We still have all of these items to find."

So he wanted to go back to business. Fine by Hal. It would be easier to ignore the dark, complicated feelings between them.

And it would distract him from the sickening misery swimming in his gut. A misery that had nothing to do with Rayton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said they would interact in this chapter. I didn't say it would be happy interaction, yeah?
> 
> Thanks so much for the comments, bookmarks, and kudos so far! Every little bit of feedback makes my day!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't know why these updates ended up being so behind...sorry.

They made it out by morning with all the items, just like before. But now there was no shared secret, save for the stupid words that Thorner had spewed. _Love._ Just the thought made Vada sick.

In the end, Thorner really was no different from the others. From Garret Ruever. Yet another chivalrous idiot taken in by Vada's pheromones, who only cared about his own feelings. He hadn't had sex with Vada that night out of his stupid noble love for a dead person. It had nothing to do with Vada.

In the end, Vada was just a _thing_ to him, an _obstacle_ to his perfect pure love for his dead beau.

Today, the medusid did not bring Vada to the Left Eye of Ghestruel. Instead, it brought him down to Ghestruel's chest. A door in the chest swung open, and the medusid deposited Vada into the Sanctum of Ghestruel.

This was the holiest place inside the statue of the Nine-Armed One, where the Sublime Vocalists gathered to hear the voice of Ghestruel Themself. Every time Vada went in here, he hoped and dreamed that he would be blessed by the sound of Ghestruel's voice too. Ghestruel rarely spoke to those who were not Sublime Vocalists, but They made an exception for Chosen Ones.

If Ghestruel called him, Vada would happily jump at the opportunity. It would be a vindication of all the effort - all the pain - he'd undergone since arriving at the Centarium.

But today, like always, Vada heard nothing.

He walked across the scarlet carpet running along the aisles of the Sanctum. The walls were covered with an intricate network of brass pipes that would carry the Sublime Voice around the entire campus, and behind the pipes were murals of the exploits of all the Chosen Ones. Vada passed beneath the scene of Nassat subduing the demonic nations, and shuddered. Half of him belonged to the people who Nassat had defeated.

But it didn't stop him from wanting to replicate Nassat's feat.

At the very back of the Sanctum was a raised dais, and upon it stood an altar to Ghestruel. The altar was positioned directly behind a set of stained-glass windows that spilled in colorful light from an unknown source. As Vada approached, he sank to his knees before the altar steps and genuflected, pressing his forehead to the floor.

"O Great Ghestruel," he prayed, "under the aegis of Your Nine Arms, I, your humble and loyal servant Devotee Vada Imilai, have come to serve You until the end of my days."

He would have loved to stay down and pray forever, but that was not why he had come here. As Vada raised himself from the floor, he saw the Lord Superior Hierophant standing next to the aisle, and beside him was a tall, strong man with long brown hair.

Garret Ruever. Vada's heart pounded.

"Come here." The Lord Superior Hierophant gestured.

Vada did so, though he was still confused. He approached the altar, step by tentative step. Its back was shaped like a bronze statue of the Nine-Armed One, the arms fanned out in a circle around the Angel's body.

"May I strip you, Imilai?" asked Garret. Back to his chivalrous ways. It reminded Vada of the time when Thorner had asked the same, and pain lanced through Vada's chest.

"You may," he murmured, "do anything you wish, Saint Garret Ruever."

Garret didn't hesitate to take the invitation. He moved forward, wafting his strong, musky scent over Vada, then reached out and with quick, sharp movements, began undoing Vada's clothing. First the cape, then his jacket and shirt, then his belt and pants and boots.

When Vada was naked, Garret lifted him gently in his arms and settled him onto the altar's sloping surface. Vada bit his lip as his bare skin met the cold metal.

With a few waves of his hand, the Lord Superior Hierophant compelled the Architecturalist mechanism inside the statue, and the arms revolved a full circle before two of them slid forward, wrapping their hands around Vada's wrists and holding him in place. Their grip was tight and merciless. Vada swallowed hard.

"The Arm of Miracles and the Arm of Enforcement," Garret said. "Fitting for one who will soon be an Ignis Saint."

He settled between Vada, spreading his legs. Today he wasn't in his armor, but a simple shirt and pants. His pants were already open, revealing his thick, throbbing cock.

Vada lifted his hips, exposing his asshole, already wet and quivering. _Whore._ The excitement in Garret's eyes only made him feel worse. Because of his pheromones, all because of his pheromones...

Garret guided his cock with his hand. It slid smoothly inside. Vada groaned, tossing his head back, as Garret pushed his way inside and Vada's passage opened for him, the muscles squeezing the cock tight.

"Imilai," Garret gasped as he thrust. "I have something to tell you."

"Anything," Vada moaned as Garret's fingers rubbed his nipples. "Anything for you."

Garret's cock hit his prostate, sending electric sparks of pleasure through his entire body. Then Garret gripped his thigh tight and thrust out, leaving Vada aching and empty - but not for long. He thrust back inside, even more savagely and ferociously than before, until his cock was swallowed all the way up to his balls. The feeling of intense fullness made Vada keen.

"I'm extending you an invitation," Garret panted, breathing against Vada's throat, "to join the Ignis Saints early."

"I still - _ah_ \- have to _\- ohh_ \- graduate - _ahn!"_ A harder thrust than ever made Vada's entire body shake. And Garret was squeezing and stroking his cock now, too.

"You have one term left," whispered Garret, "after the Cotillion marks the end of this term. During that term, what do you think about joining the Ignis Saints as a provisional member?"

He punctuated his statement with a ferocious thrust. Vada arched his back, sucking in Garret's cock so deep he groaned.

_"Nh! Ah! S-Saint Garret - "_

The emptiness as Garret slid out was almost unbearable, his insides squeezing the cock in a mad attempt to draw it deeper, but then Garret answered his wish and filled him up until he could barely draw breath. And Garret was still speaking, murmuring against the skin of his chest.

"You would travel with us, wear our armor, take on missions. Get a taste of what life as an Ignis Saint is like. Of course, you would be assigned with me."

Would the Lord Superior Hierophant really countenance this arrangement? It would take Vada out of his hands and put him into the hands of a single possessive man. But he certainly didn't seem to protest. Through his glazed eyes, Vada saw the Lord Superior Hierophant eagerly touching himself, as always.

Then another thrust from Garret compelled his attention. Vada writhed, but Ghestruel's arms held him down tight.

"You don't have to agree right this moment." Now Garret was breathing into Vada's ear, leaning so completely over Vada that his cock pressed insistently against Vada's prostate. "Give it some thought. Give me your answer at the Cotillion."

"Mm nn yes yes ahh, yes, I understand," Vada managed to force out through the crackling pleasure sweeping through his insides.

"Beautiful. You're so beautiful, Imilai. I can't wait until you're mine." Garret bit down hard on Vada's shoulder, and the sudden, sharp burst of pain was enough for Vada. His body twitched, stiffened, writhed. His cock jumped madly, streaking cum all over his chest and stomach, and all over Garret as well.

In response his insides clenched down tight on Garret, his prostate became so tender that the pressure of Garret's cock on it _hurt,_ and then Garret groaned and came as well. His cum flooded every inch of Vada's insides, one single hot gush, and Vada kept squeezing him, wringing more cum out of him.

"Oh, you're so beautiful, you're wonderful," Garret panted, his hands digging into Vada's hips. "Never, I never want to let you go."

"I love you, Saint Garret," Vada gasped.

The Lord Superior Hierophant started at this. Vada bit down a mad giggle.

"Do you?" Garret's voice was soft with disbelief. And hope.

"I love you, and only you," Vada continued, confident now. "For the rest of my life, I'll love you."

"Oh, Imilai, I love you too." Garret's eyes welled with tears. "Imilai, you're perfect. Let's stay together for the rest of our lives."

And he bent down and kissed Vada.

_Ah, so this is what kissing is like,_ some detached part of Vada thought as he moved his lips against Garret's, rubbed his tongue on Garret's. It was hot. Garret tasted like roast pork, which must have been the last thing he ate. It made Vada's stomach turn. Elves didn't eat meat.

But he kissed Garret back, because he had no choice, and felt tears burn in his eyes.

There, he'd confessed some fake love to one of the men who fucked him. Just to see if he'd react differently from Thorner. The man had not. He'd eagerly jumped on the invitation.

_Love._ Love was just a chemical imbalance in the brain. So were pheromones. In the end, what was the difference?

As Garret deepened the kiss, Vada laughed silently into his mouth.

* * *

Garret had left. Vada mechanically got dressed again. He walked to the entrance of the Sanctum, where the medusid was waiting. The Lord Superior Hierophant walked with him.

"What was that about?" the Lord Superior Hierophant said at last, as if weighing each word carefully. "Why did you say you loved him?"

"Would you rather I said I loved you?" Vada said. He was still riding the tide of mirth from the joke he'd pulled on Garret Ruever. No matter what the Lord Superior Hierophant did or said to him in response, Vada felt that he could handle it.

He'd given his first kiss away. Wasn't like he had anything left to lose.

The Lord Superior Hierophant sighed. "He would have offered you the position even if you didn't say that. So why did you?"

"Maybe I was sincere," Vada said.

"You're an incubus. Everything you do is manipulation."

Vada looked at the Lord Superior Hierophant through narrowed eyes. The Lord Superior Hierophant stared back, his ancient face unreadable.

"I haven't allowed myself to forget, dear Vada. Garret forgot, and so do my colleagues on a regular basis. But I have not. I know what you are. An incubus. Not a single word that escapes your lips is sincere."

It was stupid, but the Lord Superior Hierophant's words stung. Vada said, "My devotion to Ghestruel is."

The Lord Superior Hierophant's mouth twitched. "An incubus Devotee. That'll be the day."

_I am half an elf, too. Like you._ But it would be pointless to say. Anyway, the medusid was here, waiting for him, and Vada wanted to go. He bowed to the Lord Superior Hierophant and made to step onto the transport, when the Lord Superior Hierophant's hand shot out and caught Vada by the arm.

Vada stiffened. The Lord Superior Hierophant touched him on occasion, but only very, very rarely. The feeling of the man's papery skin through his sleeve sent shivers down his spine.

"I wish," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, staring at Vada's mouth, "that you hadn't kissed him."

"I'm sorry, Lord Superior Hierophant," Vada said.

"I almost believe you," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, chuckling. "Go on, then, pretty thing. Attend your classes. Show your devotion to the Angel."

Vada's heart pounded. He bowed low, sweeping his cape in front of him, before whirling around and climbing onto the transport. He'd never wanted to get away from the Lord Superior Hierophant quicker.

* * *

Hal dreamed of Rayton.

He only ever had one dream of Rayton, at least during the night. In the day his imagination worked feverishly. Conjuring up images of Rayton on the battlefield, a boy too small for his war stallion, swinging his sword and firing arrows until a sword, or arrow, it changed in each imagining, felled him.

During the night, he only dreamed of when Rayton failed to become the Chosen One.

Two Saints had come to the clan's encampment, riding astride smoke-unicorns, creatures with trailing, filamentous manes that shifted with each slight movement of the air. Hal and Rayton watched them in wonder. Rayton had been nine, Hal seven.

Even at that age, Hal loved Rayton. He just didn't know yet that it was a love beyond that which cousins had for each other.

The Saints were Recorders, wearing the dark blue robes of their Arm. This was just a formality visit. They usually didn't expect to find promising prospects among the Rusaida. But the Rusaida were one of the Nations Under the Angel's Arms, so the Saints came every now and then to see if they might skim a few children as Devotees.

Hal was too young to be tested. Rayton was eager, excited. He didn't know how to read, but he figured it wouldn't be too big an obstacle when the Saints saw just how devoted he was to Ghestruel, to the idea of being a powerful Enforcer like Nassat. Nassat had done it. Surely Rayton would.

At that age, Hal believed that Rayton had hung the moon and stars in the sky. Rayton wasn't that much older than him, but already bold and brave. He'd already begun to train in the adults' sword and a man's bow. When Rayton told him stories of Nassat, Hal imagined Nassat to look like an older Rayton.

How could Rayton fail? The idea had never crossed Hal's mind.

The Saints took Rayton, and the other children of similar age, into their encampment. Hal's parents forbade him from following. He spent the whole day perched on the outer step of his tent, staring in the direction of the Saints' encampment - visible due to the trailing white banners it flew - and wondering what Rayton was doing.

Rayton only returned by the time the sun began its descent, painting the grasses in black and gold. Hal and his family finished muttering the sunset prayer, and they saw Rayton walking toward them.

Rayton's eyes were wide, not focusing on anything nearby. They were eyes Hal had seen before. Eyes of the oldest men who had fought in wars long ago.

"Ray!" Hal ran to Rayton. "What happened? How'd you do?"

Rayton stormed right past Hal and went to his family's tent. He didn't come out, even though Hal spent hours sitting outside the tent begging for Rayton to come out and see him.

In the days since, Hal pieced together what happened from the adults' whispers, from Rayton's gloomy silences. The test had involved reading. A lot of it. Rayton couldn't read a word. When he couldn't, the examiners had tried to make him recite the standard prayers to Ghestruel. Rayton knew Rusaida prayers, but not the prayers the Saints were looking for. Along with all the other children, Rayton had failed. Decidedly.

Rayton could never go to the Ghestruel Centarium. He could never become a Devotee. He could never become the Chosen One.

"You don't have to go to the Centarium," Hal suggested, trying to lift Rayton from his funk. "Maybe if you pray hard enough to Ghestruel, They'll grant your wish."

"Don't be stupid." Rayton glared at Hal. It was the first time he had looked at Hal in anger, and it made Hal's head buzz. "There's no way you can be the Chosen One if you aren't a Devotee. I'll never be the Chosen One."

No! There still had to be a way! Hal and Rayton had spent most of their childhood convinced Rayton would be the next Nassat. What would happen if he couldn't be?

Rayton frowned, blinking, seeming to think very hard. Then he looked at Hal, and his dark eyes were shining.

"I can't be the Chosen One, Hal. But maybe you can."

"What?"

"You'll be the Chosen One." Rayton leaned forward, grabbing Hal's shoulders. "You'll go to the Centarium. You'll pass their stupid test when they come back."

Hal's breath caught. He'd never imagined _himself_ as the Chosen One. It was always Rayton.

Rayton would not be dissuaded from this idea. The next market day, they came to the man who sold books. They got on their knees and begged him to teach Hal to read. Hal would do chores for him on market days. Hal ran errands for the man all day, and then in the evenings he'd sit with the man and sound out his letters. It was slow and painful at first, but gradually Hal gained more and more confidence.

Then the man started him on learning the prayers. Hal and Rayton drilled in them every evening until the words marched through Hal's dreams and he could recite them from memory.

The other children didn't understand their little project, of course. They made fun of Hal and Rayton for devoting so much time to their letters, just like city folk. Rayton defended Hal from their bullying. _"You'll see! One day he'll be the Chosen One!"_

The more Hal learned, the more Hal started to read on his own. He improved his hunting so he could trade meat and pelts at the market, and with his earnings he bought books that he handled carefully back in his home tent. He read about the Nine Arms of the Angel, the histories - not just Rusaida folk tales - of Nassat. He learned Nassat probably hadn't been able to fly, but Nassat had indeed singlehandedly quelled a demonic invasion. He learned that Nassat had been an Enforcer, Tamer, and Miraclist.

_Enforcer, Tamer, Miraclist._ The names repeated like a litany in Hal's head. Those were the Three Arms he would choose when he became a Devotee. Rayton reminded him every day.

Then war came, and Rayton left. Rayton left, and never returned.

But before he'd left, Rayton had gotten word that two examiner Saints were coming to the Rusaida encampment. Hal was eleven, not nine, but the examiners would probably test him anyway since there were no nine-year-olds in their clan.

Hal remembered every word of this last conversation. Remembered the exact way the light played across Rayton's face. Remembered the tight constriction in his chest.

"You will pass." Rayton squeezed Hal's shoulder. "I know you will."

"You should worry about yourself, idiot," Hal said, struggling to speak. It didn't seem fair that Rayton was going to war so young.

"Why? I've got the blessing of Ghestruel Themself." Rayton grinned and spread his arms. "I'll be just fine. When we come back, I'll be covered in glory, and you'll be a Devotee."

"Ray..."

"Promise me, Hal." Rayton looked into Hal's eyes, the dark Rusaida eyes that they both shared. Except Rayton was taller, and he now wore the two gold bands of an adult around his braids. He hadn't initiated yet, but wore them so he'd be allowed to come with the warriors.

"Promise me," Rayton repeated. "You will be a Devotee. You will be the Chosen One."

His eyes hypnotized Hal. They always did. Hal had no choice. He nodded.

Rayton slapped Hal's shoulder. "See you soon, Hal."

"Ray, I..." But Hal was a coward. He couldn't finish the sentence. Couldn't say the words that he had come to realize were true as he began to grow into his own adolescence.

_I love you._

"Good luck," Hal decided to say instead, then whispered the traditional prayer to a departing warrior.

"Not that one. Do the Ninth Benediction of Ghestruel," said Rayton, and they recited the prayer together.

Those were the last words Hal ever heard Rayton say.

Two weeks after Rayton's death, the examiners arrived. Hal was numb. Empty inside. He went through the motions, though. He had no choice. This was the only way to honor Rayton.

Rayton hadn't fulfilled his promise to Hal. So Hal swore to fulfill his promise to Rayton. _Become a Devotee. Become the Chosen One._

Hal passed. He would enter the Centarium as a third year.

Why didn't he feel more triumphant about it?

* * *

_Because it's Rayton's dream,_ Hal thought, staring at the ceiling as he rose out of the dream. _Not mine._

He rolled over in his bed, staring out the open bay window. The globe-fish were like green stars upon the dark campus. Stars, like the constellations that had once watched over him and Rayton the long nights when they roamed the plains, gathering berries and hunting squirrels.

_I love Rayton. I made him a promise._ Hal clutched the locket tight. He'd had it made after he had first come to the Centarium. He only possessed one photograph of Rayton, which Rayton had taken with his family when a traveling photographer had gone through the market. Hal had carefully clipped Rayton out of the grainy black-and-white photograph and secured him inside the locket.

He could never forget. His dream had only cemented his conviction. He didn't love Vada Imilai. So what if he'd had sex with Vada. Sex didn't need love to exist. Hal had enjoyed the sex so much that he'd allowed himself to forget the one who even now, compelled his every action.

Well, not anymore. _For Rayton,_ he thought. _For Rayton. All of this is for Rayton._

Except it wasn't. He had only started to improve when he'd wanted Vada's attention. Vada's praise. Vada's respect.

Whereas Rayton's memory hadn't been enough to stop Hal from being the worst student at the Centarium.

Hal rolled over, tears burning in his eyes. No more. He wouldn't think of Vada anymore. He would only hold Rayton in his heart.

Vada didn't want Hal's love anyway. He was probably right. His incubus pheromones had seduced Hal into seeing a mutual attraction where there was none. For seeing deeper emotions when it was really all just manipulation. In contrast, Hal's love for Rayton was pure. It would never be sullied by anything. It would never change.

It was frozen in time, just like Rayton.

Hal cried himself back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bout time we got Hal's backstory!
> 
> Next chapter will feature some of the most intense shit yet, so look forward to that (or not). Thanks as always for the comments, kudos, and bookmarks!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update...it's been rough lately, but that's no excuse. I'll try to get more on track in the future especially since the story is complete. =/
> 
> Also, this is the most hardcore chapter yet, in that it features an enema scene. Yeah. While writing it I realized I'd finally reached the limits of my depravity level, so I guess I learned something?

"I heard something quite interesting from Maska Glale," said Grand Hierophant Pember. "It seems you got into yet another fight with Hallert Thorner."

"First you fight Thorner, then you fight your friends over Thorner, and then you fight Thorner again," Shell grunted. "What is going on?"

"N-nothing, nothing, sir," Vada gasped out, bucking and writhing as Shell rubbed an ice cube upon his nipple. The numb cold made the pink bud painfully stiff, and the water from the melting cube dripped down his skin, leaving prickling trails. His cock jumped.

"Thorner does seem to inspire a certain belligerence in you," said Pember. "It's almost cute."

Somehow it always stung the most when they called him cute and adorable. Like he was a little puppy. Something that didn't have a mind of its own. But in the end, that was how they viewed him. Even the Lord Superior Hierophant, though he had more caution about Vada than the others. But it was a caution born from seeing Vada as an incubus first. A demonic enemy.

The others didn't see an enemy, of course; they saw a plaything. But in the end it was all the same. Because of who - _what_ \- he was, they couldn't view him as the proud Devotee he wished he could be.

"Perhaps we should invite him," suggested Shell. He moved on to the other nipple, using a different ice cube now.

"No, no." Too quickly, Vada shook his head. The thought of _Thorner_ attending one of these sessions - he couldn't stand it.

What would Thorner think? Perhaps it might finally break his faith in Vada. His stupid so-called love. Seeing what kind of slut Vada really was...

"Tch, we wouldn't do that." Pember brushed an ice cube against Vada's balls, making Vada arch his back. "That failure doesn't deserve it."

"Undoubtedly," said Shell. "It's just interesting, I suppose. Why you keep getting in fights because of Thorner."

He ran his fingers through the water dripping from the ice cube, inciting shivers from Vada. And Pember was rubbing harder, moving his ice cube down the shaft of Vada's cock, where it melted rapidly against the throbbing, hot skin.

"We're just touching you with some ice and you're already this turned on." Pember chuckled, taking the head of Vada's cock between his fingers. "How adorable. Anyway, Shell, don't worry too much about Thorner. Vada, you won't get in another fight with him, will you?"

Vada shook his head. "See?" Another chuckle from Pember. And he must have started on a new ice cube, for something cold and hard rubbed the slit of his cock. Vada groaned as more precum leaked out.

Pember rubbed faster and faster, his touch on the tender, delicate skin setting Vada's entire body on fire. He rubbed until the ice cube melted to nothing, soaking Vada's cock, then he started tugging on Vada's cock with both hands. Vada keened and wailed, thrusting his cock into Pember's hot touch.

Shell had been playing with Vada's nipples, but then he reached behind and tenderly, delicately, inserted an ice cube into Vada's asshole. Vada squeaked at the sudden coldness inside him. And it was rapidly melting, flooding his insides with water.

"Do you like that? Feels good?" Shell whispered in Vada's ear.

"Y-yes, yes, mm, more, more!"

"Much obliged." Another ice cube slipped inside. Vada whimpered and moaned.

This felt good. It wasn't torture, it wasn't humiliating, and the cold ice and water was refreshing upon his overheated body. If only all of the sessions could be like this.

It was almost like how sex with Thorner had felt. Completely free.

When Shell pushed his way inside, Vada obligingly spread his legs, allowing him. He leaned his head back, resting it against Shell's broad shoulder, and moved his hips in time with Shell's long, exquisitely slow thrusts. Pember continued playing with his cock up front, jerking the shaft with his hand, rubbing ice cubes on the head.

When Vada came, he let himself give way completely to the orgasm, letting the fire rush through his body and the wonderful release drop him over a cliff. He was soaring, then falling. A beautiful, heady rush. He collapsed, completely spent, feeling his insides clamp down tight around Shell. Pember climbed up onto the desk too, and started rubbing an ice cube against Vada's nipple, sending little flares of pleasure back into his cock.

Then Shell came, flooding Vada's insides with slick heat, and when he pulled out Vada's cock jumped at the sensation of his cum flooding out. Vada collapsed onto the desk, already partly hard again, something that did not escape the Hierophants' notice.

"You can keep going, can't you?" Shell said, fondling Vada's ass.

"I wonder who you're going to bring to the Cotillion. Elairya? She seems to really want it," said Pember, settling down in front of Vada and brushing his cock along the curve of Vada's cheek.

Vada stiffened a bit. Some of the relaxed contentment began to lift. He remembered where he really was, who he was really dealing with.

These two weren't Thorner.

"Or perhaps not." Pember snickered. "Whoever your choice is, I am sure she will be very beautiful. You two will make a majestic couple."

Vada squeezed his eyes shut, then took the head of Pember's cock into his mouth. He didn't want to think about the Cotillion. Because by that point, he'd have to make his decision. He'd have to decide if spending the rest of his life faking being in love with Garret Ruever would be better than another term in the Centarium.

At this point, he still didn't know. Garret was possessive and thoughtless, but Vada wasn't used to thoughtful lovers anyway. At least he wasn't unduly cruel. He didn't have any weird kinks. He wouldn't subject Vada to electricity or candles or slime monsters or schoolgirl uniforms or spankings.

But being the subject to his cruel, possessive kindness made Vada's stomach turn. It wasn't a good option. He wasn't even sure if it was the better of the two options. At least these three men were a familiar quantity, and sometimes they let him relax, like today. Garret was too intense. He would never give Vada a day off.

More than that, it didn't feel right to leave the Centarium without making things right between him and Thorner...somehow. He didn't want these men to know about his association with Thorner. It might be better if he just never saw Thorner again.

Yet Vada _wanted_ to. And he so rarely had any ability to do anything that he actually wanted. He'd take every precious moment when it came.

Vada was snapped from his thoughts only when Pember climbed behind and pushed his way inside. He rarely fucked Vada, but Vada almost enjoyed it; at least Pember wasn't huge. It didn't hurt. He arched his back, pushing back against Pember, and let himself get lost in ecstasy. At least for a moment.

In the end, he really was just an incubus.

* * *

When the letter came to Hal, telling him that he had gotten a summons from the Lord Superior Hierophant, Hal wondered if perhaps he hadn't been mistaken with another Hallert Thorner.

But no, there was only one Hallert Thorner in the Centarium, and it was him. He stared and stared and stared at the letter, thinking it was a joke. He even waited until the meeting time had passed.

Then another letter flew through the window and poked Hal in the nose. When he unfolded it, he saw the same exact message. _Lord Superior Hierophant Avaclus Dei requests a meeting with Devotee Hallert Thorner in the Reyvenda Tea Room on Ossum Platform 11 AM Vocaday._

Hal had never been to Ossum Platform before. Nor had he ever spoken to the Lord Superior Hierophant. In fact, the closest Hal had ever been to the Lord Superior Hierophant was during the annual start-of-year speech, when Hal sat in the back rows of the coliseum.

Now the Lord Superior Hierophant wanted to see him? Hal trembled. This could not be good. It probably had something to do with his score in the last all-Centarium exam.

Well, Hal would be sure to tell the old fart that he'd been studying and was bound to do better in the next all-Centarium exam, which would happen right before the Cotillion. Hal was already annoying Cinda and Rodmont enough with his efforts to get them to study with him. By this point Rodmont had forgiven Hal for calling the band shitty, mostly because the band had broken up. Amazing it hadn't happened sooner.

Armed with that defense, Hal went. Not sure what a meeting with the Lord Superior Hierophant required, he decided to be safe and put on the dress uniform. The black robe with a high stiff collar looked ridiculous as shit, and Hal felt like a moron striding through the streets on a weekend dressed like this, but he'd rather be safe than sorry.

When Hal came to the transport area, a covered deck jutting out over the platform edge, to his surprise a personalized medusid was already waiting for him. So he wouldn't have to take one of the crowded medusid buses. The carriage of this transport was even more rickety than the buses, though. Oh, how Hal hated medusid travel.

Each Platform of the Centarium had a different theme; Ossum was a charming fairyland. The buildings all looked like either gingerbread cottages or airy castles, and unicorns and puff-birds wandered through gardens full of sparkling flowers. Hal snickered a bit at the pink puff-birds. They rather reminded him of Pency. She no doubt would love this place.

It was a little cutesy for Hal's liking, which was probably why most of the population of Ossum was female. But the Lord Superior Hierophant had expected a meeting here, so a meeting he'd get.

After asking around for directions, Hal reached the Reyvenda Team Room, which was located on the top floor of the central castle on Ossum. The tea room was just as unbearable as the rest of Ossum, all frothy and frilly and decorated in lace. It was also small and cozy, and Hal's spirits lifted when he saw the little silver serving trays with petits fours and tea sandwiches upon it.

At the opposite side of the table sat the Lord Superior Hierophant.

Instantly Hal sank into a bow. He knew _that_ much, at least. "Lord Superior Hierophant," he mumbled to the rose-decorated carpet, "I am very pleased to meet you. How may I be of service?"

"For the worst student in the Centarium," said the Lord Superior Hierophant wryly, "you're quite polite."

Hal blushed.

"You may have a seat. May I pour you some tea?"

Numbly, Hal sank into the padded chair draped in a lacy white shawl and let the Lord Superior Hierophant serve him a cup of rose tea, a tiny rose cream cake, and a cucumber tea sandwich.

"Thank you, Lord Superior Hierophant," Hal stammered, staring at the delicious-looking food. But he still felt like he was walking into a trap. What if the food was rigged to do awful things to his innards if he consumed it?

The Lord Superior Hierophant certainly looked like that sort of trickster. In the stories, elves who were old enough to grow beards and show wrinkles were always tricksters.

"My, what is the occasion?" The Lord Superior Hierophant raised one fat white eyebrow. "You've dressed so formally."

"I - I mean, I thought, it's only polite, since it's our first meeting," Hal mumbled, blushing redder and redder.

"You really are a good Devotee." The Lord Superior Hierophant chuckled. "It's hard to believe that you scored a 1 out of 100 on the last all-Centarium exam."

Instantly Hal leaped into damage-control mode. "Lord Superior Hierophant, sir, believe me, ever since then I've been doing my best to improve. I've been going to extra lessons, I'm studying hard, I, I can call my armor and make fire now, I'll show you - "

Another dry chuckle shut up Hal's babblings. "Yes, I have heard about your tremendous effort. From Vada Imilai, in fact."

"Imilai?" Now Hal's interest was piqued. Vada spoke to the Lord Superior Hierophant? Well, he was only the best Devotee in ages and the future Chosen One. Of course he'd be all buddy-buddy with the Lord Superior Hierophant.

But that he was speaking to the Lord Superior Hierophant about Hal...

"Come now, drink your tea. It's delicious," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "The petals come from Hierophant Sirya's personal garden."

Grand Hierophant Sirya was the Platform Leader of Ossum. Looking closer, Hal saw that the petals in the tea were sparkling faintly. Still nervous, he took a sip. It was sweet and tart and delicious. He drank some more.

"The cakes and sandwiches are delicious too," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "There's nothing like good food to bring people together, I always say."

"Sir?" Hal squeaked over his cup. _Bring people together?_ What did the Lord Superior Hierophant mean by that?

"You're not in trouble, Devotee Thorner," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "I merely wanted to ask you a few questions. Mostly aboout what you think of Devotee Vada Imilai."

"Uh." Hal hadn't expected this line of questioning at all. "I guess - is it weird? That we've been hanging out and stuff?"

"It is interesting," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "Normally two such different Devotees wouldn't associate, would they? I'm very curious to find out why."

"P-pardon, but why exactly, Lord Superior Hierophant, sir? Uh, I'm sure you have more important things to be doing. Like, things about running the Centarium, not just talking to one student..." Hal trailed off, going red all the way to the tips of his ears. Who was he to tell the grand master of the Centarium how to do his job?

But the Lord Superior Hierophant didn't look ticked; in fact, Hal was starting to suspect he was a very difficult person to rattle. "It is important to me," he said, smiling at Hal. "I may be in charge of the entire Centarium, but I still have the heart of a teacher. I want to make sure all of my students are doing well."

"I'm not, I'm not getting Imilai in trouble," Hal stammered. "We're getting along. He's been helping me a lot. Yeah."

"But you did get into two fights with him, didn't you?"

Hal was glad he wasn't holding his teacup, because he would have dropped it.

The Lord Superior Hierophant, of course, noticed. His smile grew kindlier. "It's all right. Like I said, you're not in trouble. I only want to know why. Imilai is not the kind of student who gets into fights, after all."

"It's just - well, he came after me the first time," Hal blathered. "Was mad at me about my score, so he, uh, and I, uh, defended myself. Actually the second time he hit me first too, he was mad about - about - "

He couldn't say what Vada was really mad about, so he strove to make something up. "He thought I was being too clingy to him in class, or whatever." Which was the partial truth? Not really, since Hal had been thinking Vada was the clingy one at the time. _Jilted girlfriend._

"Hmm." The Lord Superior Hierophant's eyebrows twitched. "Most interesting. But he also fought with his own friends about you."

Damnation, how much did this man know? Hal tried and failed to hide a shudder. "It was, I mean, they were going to beat me up."

"They were angry that you were stealing his attention, weren't they?"

"I, I guess? Something like that?"

The Lord Superior Hierophant stroked his beard. Hal wondered what he was thinking. "If you're that curious about Imilai," Hal ventured, "why don't you ask him?"

"I have already," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "I only wanted to get your side of the story. That he started the two fights, hmm..."

"He's not in trouble, is he?" Hal said, concern spiking inside him. "I mean, it's kind of my fault, both those times."

"No, he's not. Don't worry." Again that wry smile. "Like I said, I only want to make sure all my students are doing the best they can possibly be. You seem to be a good boy whose heart is in the right place, Devotee Thorner. You might make a good friend to Devotee Imilai."

"Really?" Hal blushed. A good friend? As if. He'd tried and failed spectacularly at that.

"Thank you for the conversation." The Lord Superior Hierophant stood up. "Unfortunately, I must return to my business of tending to the Centarium. But you may finish your tea and food. Nothing worse than leaving some good food untouched."

"Yeah," Hal blurted. "I think so too."

The Lord Superior Hierophant's smile became kindlier, if possible. Then with a swirl of robes, he vanished. Hal blinked.

Well, he figured the Lord Superior Hierophant had to be a powerful Contemplatist. In the meantime, there was an entire table of food for Hal to stuff himself with.

Yeah, the Lord Superior Hierophant was really not a bad sort at all, Hal thought as he happily cut into his rose cake.

* * *

When Vada came into the office next, he found the Lord Superior Hierophant alone. This was a most unusual circumstance, and it gave Vada a flash of hope. Maybe he wouldn't be expected to do anything too bizarre today. Maybe he just would have to touch himself or take a vibrator inside. Both of those he could handle well.

But as he came closer to the desk, he saw the thunder in the Lord Superior Hierophant's face. It made Vada back away, heart slamming.

"You didn't tell me, Vada," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, each word slow and dangerous, "that you had started the two fights with Thorner."

Horror jumped down Vada's spine. "How - how did you - " he began, which he realized too late was the exact wrong thing to say.

Sure enough, the Lord Superior Hierophant's eyes narrowed. "I spoke to Thorner."

_No._ Vada's stomach swooped. He'd have thought Thorner was completely beneath the Lord Superior Hierophant's notice. He'd thought wrong.

"You lied to me, Vada."

"I d-didn't." Foolishly, idiotically, Vada was still trying to defend himself. "I j-just, I just didn't s-say - "

"That is a lie of omission."

Vada hung his head, tears burning in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Lord Superior Hierophant."

"So you have started not one, but three, fights within the space of a month. Two of them with an underclassman you were supposed to be helping." The fury in the Lord Superior Hierophant's voice dragged at Vada's stomach. "You said that he was clingy? He was depending on you to help him."

_Clingy?_ No, that hadn't been the reason for the second fight at all. Thorner must have lied. Not that he could have told the truth, but something like that - like _that_ -

"N, no," Vada whispered. "It wasn't, please, Lord Superior Hierophant, believe me - "

"Vada," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, "today I am punishing you. Get on the desk."

Swallowing sobs, Vada made his way to the desk. The distance gaped, so wide. But he crossed it in no time at all. He got down on his hands and knees. Didn't bother displaying himself, as he usually did. He sensed the Lord Superior Hierophant was in no mood for such formalities.

The Lord Superior Hierophant bent, rummaging with the drawers of the desk. Vada's breath rasped in and out. It was the only sound that could be heard in the office.

"Please," Vada whispered. The Lord Superior Hierophant seemed to be rummaging for a very long time. Was he thinking through his options? "I beg you, please have mercy, I'm sorry, I really am, I'm so sorry - "

"I will not fall for your manipulations, incubus." The Lord Superior Hierophant's voice was cold. Vada gulped.

Finally, the Lord Superior Hierophant lifted himself. He was holding a pole, attached to some kind of bag, which was attached to a thin plastic tube with a nozzle at the end.

Vada recognized what it was in a heartbeat. His stomach turned. "No." He flung himself toward the Lord Superior Hierophant, grabbing fistfuls of his robe. "Please, no, no, no, anything else, anything else, I'll let you - I'll let you cut me, torture me, _anything else - "_

"Remove your hands from me, incubus."

Vada gripped tighter, sobbing into the Lord Superior Hierophant's robe. "Anything, anything else. I beg you, I beg you, have mercy, _please!"_

"Remove your hands." The command repeated, firmer. An invisible force pushed at Vada, and he let go and skittered backward across the desk.

"Get on your hands and knees."

Vada shook his head, stubbornly trying to resist, still hoping that somehow, _somehow,_ he could get out of this.

"I will not repeat my order." The Lord Superior Hierophant's eyes blazed, so bright they burned to look upon. "The more you defy me, the worse the punishment will be."

Sobbing, shaking, Vada climbed up to his hands and knees. Turned his ass to face the Lord Superior Hierophant, spread his legs. His cock jumped as if in recognition of the familiar position.

But this time, he wasn't going to be fucked.

_I won't cum,_ Vada thought, biting his lip. _No matter what, I won't cum from this. This - this kind of humiliation._

If he did, it really would be over. He'd lose every last shred of the already tattered pride that he possessed.

The Lord Superior Hierophant gestured with his hands, and Vada watched with wide, terrified eyes as the bag filled with soapy water. Then the Lord Superior Hierophant picked up the tubing, holding the nozzle, positioning it over Vada's quivering entrance -

One last attempt. _"Please, please, please,_ for the love of the Angel _please_ \- "

"What do you know of the Angel's love, incubus?" said the Lord Superior Hierophant, low and contemptuous, and he pushed the nozzle inside.

It wasn't the biggest thing Vada had taken inside, not by far, but he still whimpered and writhed as the Lord Superior Hierophant pushed it in. As his insides stretched around it, Vada's cock hardened some more.

_No, no, damn it!_ he thought furiously, squeezing his eyes shut. _I'm not, I'm not getting turned on by this!_

Something clicked. And Vada felt it, the water rushing through the tubing. And flooding through the nozzle into his insides. It was warm, uncomfortably so. He groaned, tried to crawl forward and away, but the water kept flooding him.

"St-stop, stop, please," he wailed, even though he knew it was far too late.

"Remember that this is all your fault, incubus." The Lord Superior Hierophant was pacing behind him. "If you hadn't incited those three fights, none of this would be happening."

_It's because I didn't have enough control,_ Vada thought, biting his lip, trying to hold back the horrible groans and sobs and choked sputters threatening to leave him. The water was filling him more than more, his stomach growing uncomfortably full. And with it, the first vague stirrings of the last urge he wanted to feel at this moment.

_I let my emotions take over me. All three of those times. It felt good to fight at the time, but - but it had consequences. Damn it, damn it, this is what happens when I lose control!_

How could he let himself forget that? Even for a _moment,_ he could not let himself fall apart, could not give in to his basest urges -

But it was so hard right now, as he writhed and whined, as the water stretched his stomach and the urge grew stronger and stronger. "Take it out, please," he begged, "it's too much, too much, I don't want, I'm sorry I'm sorry _I'm sorry - "_

"I will decide when you've had enough," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, his voice drifting from far away indeed.

"Mmn, ohh." Vada squeezed his eyes shut, his entire body shaking, pulling his muscles taut. Anything, _anything,_ to keep it in. And the water wouldn't stop, just kept spilling in until he thought he would burst...

"You're getting hard?" The Lord Superior Hierophant's voice was low with disgust. "You really are a whore."

_No, no, no! I'm not! I'm not!_ But he couldn't deny the truth. As his stomach distended, his cock was stiffening, dull jolts of pleasure shooting from it. _Pleasure._ From _this._

Vada let loose a long, anguished wail. It was over. Truly over. He had no shame left to feel.

_"Mother,"_ he sobbed, digging his nails into the desk until little curls of wood flaked off. _"Mother, please, please, Mother, help me, help me, Mother - "_

"Your mother's not here. She will never come for you."

_"Mother, help me! Mother!"_ His screams rose in volume, and his cock only got harder, and the urge was so overpowering that it was taking all his effort, all his willpower, to keep it in.

"Will you ever, _ever_ fight another underclassman or peer of yours?" Somehow, the Lord Superior Hierophant's voice cut through even his wild screams and sobs. _"Will you, Vada Imilai?"_

_"No! No, I never will, I promise I promise - ahh I can't take it anymore, please please PLEASE!"_

"Very well." A click. The flow of water stopped. But that was no comfort, because he was still writhing, whimpering, still trying to desperately hold back the flood that wanted to exit him in one violent burst.

"The bathroom is over there." The Lord Superior Hierophant pointed to an unmarked door in the back of the office. "Take care of yourself in there."

"Yes, sir, thank you, sir," Vada sobbed. Trembling, he climbed off the desk and stumbled toward the door. It felt like the longest run in his life.

Once safely inside, he collapsed on top of the toilet, sobbing and shaking.

_I don't have anything left to live for. I don't have any pride anymore. I can't feel any shame anymore._

_Mother, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhh...congrats for surviving to the end?
> 
> Anyway I promise I won't get more depraved than this. Though if you liked it, let me know! I am glad that so many people are reading and enjoying this fucked-up smutfest, haha.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack, sorry for the late update. Well, it's here now!

Hal smiled as he put the last sprinkle of pepper over the three bowls of spaghetti alla Hallert. Which was just spaghetti cooked al dente, of course, mixed with an olive oil garlic sauce and whatever vegetables he had lying around, and topped with a special crispy cheesy breadcrumb crust that he'd toasted in the broiler.

"Spaghetti alla Hallert, ready for the eating!" Hal sang, balancing the three bowls as he came to his friends.

The Centarium provided food, but it also provided kitchens, and Hal had learned to flex his cooking muscles after he'd enjoyed a home economics class back in his fourth year. Once a month, he and his friends came together for a three-course meal catered by himself.

"Oh, divine!" Cinda clapped her hands together.

"Hal, how do you _do_ it?" Rodmont wailed. "I swear, one of these days I'm going to kidnap you and bring you to my house. Maybe you can finally teach my mom how to cook."

That both Cinda and Rodmont enjoyed Hal's cooking filled Hal with a vast amount of pride. Crinari and human taste buds were so different, after all. Cinda praised the spice and bold flavors, while Rodmont praised the subtlety.

Hal joined his friends in digging in, and they enjoyed themselves chatting about silly shit like they always did. Hal wasn't even bothered when Cinda and Rodmont started enjoying the wine too much and began twining fingers in a very unchaste way.

They polished off the spaghetti, and Hal prepared to fetch the dessert course, pots of chocolate mousse topped by raspberries. But as Hal went into the kitchen, he heard a knock from the front door.

This was Cinda's dorm, a small, house-like building whose kitchen and dining room Hal and pals were currently borrowing. Hal made his way up the stairs to the ground floor entrance, and when he flung open the door he saw a tiny girl staring owlishly up at him.

"Huh? Hey, you're that kid from the extra lessons...what's your name again?"

"Kaly," the girl pronounced, her voice somber. "Kaly Kassertain."

"Okay, Kaly Kassertain, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you."

"Why?"

"Um." Kaly glanced around, then said, "I heard some older kids saying they haven't seen Vada Imilai for almost three days."

"Huh?" Hal's heart began to beat faster.

"Seems like he won't leave his room. His friends have tried to get him to leave, but he tells them to go away. He won't go to class. He doesn't take the homework that they bring to him, it's just piling up out his door."

"Okay, and you're telling me this?" Hal tried to feign nonchalance, but he was sure the concern was showing on his face, for Kaly sighed.

"'Cause you're his friend," she said in a 'this-is-totally-obvious' tone. "Maybe he'll listen to you. Shouldn't you at least try to see how he's doing?"

"I guess, but I'm kind of busy here," Hal said. "I'll come see him after I'm done with dinner, okay?"

"'Kay," Kaly said. She looked at the mousses in Hal's hands. "Those look yummy. Can I have one?"

"Sorry, don't have enough for you," Hal said. Kaly looked like she didn't mind, so Hal ran back inside to his friends. They could immediately sense the change in his bearing, for they instantly asked what's wrong.

Hal explained as best as he could. "Oh, that is super weird," Cinda mused. "He never does this."

"Yeah, sounds more like a Hal thing to do." Rodmont snickered, but looked perturbed when Hal didn't join in.

Hal was not in a snickering mood. He kept turning over his last conversation with Vada, which had been a few weeks ago, all right, but still sat heavy on his conscience. Vada had been angry at him, but Hal had also been angry, and he might have said some seriously wounding things...

Except Vada didn't seem like the kind of person who sulked about hurtful words, and he'd been more enraged than upset about Hal's "jilted girlfriend" insult. No, something else had happened.

Something to do with the Lord Superior Hierophant? Hal trembled as he remembered that conversation. The Lord Superior Hierophant had _said_ that Vada wasn't in trouble, but surely he must be upset to learn that Vada had instigated the fights. Maybe he'd chewed Vada out, and now Vada was sulking.

Except _that_ didn't fit his character either. He struck Hal as the kind of person who wouldn't give up and sulk, but do his best to improve. Completely unlike Hal.

"Hal? Hello, Hal?" Cinda snapped her fingers in Hal's face. Hal jerked.

"Are you okay?" Rodmont asked. "We're done with dessert but you're still spacing out."

"I'm, I'm fine," Hal stammered. His tongue felt thick and heavy. "Look, I'll take this to Imilai." He picked up his own untouched mousse. "Maybe it'll cheer him up."

"You guys really did become bosom buddies, huh?" Cinda sounded impressed.

_More like fuck buddies,_ but Hal was not about to admit this to his friends. "I'm just worried about him."

"If he won't see his friends, why do you think he'll see you?" Rodmont said, squinting.

"'Cause I'm bringing Chef Hallert's chocolate mousse extraordinaire," Hal said, putting on a winsome grin.

And in truth, because he felt he had something deeper with Vada than Vada did with his jerkish friends. Or so Hal hoped.

He just knew that he couldn't let things be. If it anything, even the slightest, to do with him, wasn't he responsible in some way?

* * *

Hal half-ran, half-trotted all the way to the Scarlet Mansion, which was on the opposite side of Ryger from Cinda's dorm. He asked for Vada's room from a ninth year who gave him a withering look, but pointed him in the right direction.

Now Hal stood outside the door, sweat beading beneath his collar. He stared at the gilt lettering V. IMILAI on the door plaque as if trying to imprint the name into his retinas.

Now or never.

Swallowing, Hal cradled the mousse in one hand, and with the other pounded on the door. Another pound when he didn't hear an answer.

"Imilai?" he called. "It's me, Thorner."

A long pause. Then, Vada's voice drifted up toward him. "Fuck off."

The sound of his voice made Hal's concern spike. He'd never, _never_ heard perfect Vada Imilai like this before, soft and listless. Like he'd - he'd completely given up.

No, that wasn't right. Even when Vada was furious, when he was unhappy, he had an fierce, unyielding pride that animated him, gave him strength. Hal couldn't imagine him without it. He wouldn't be the same person without it.

"Imilai," Hal said again, more concerned. "Please. I brought you some food. You haven't eaten in all these days, have you?"

"I said fuck off."

"I won't." Hal swallowed, took a deep breath, made his decision. He wasn't in love with Vada, sure, but that didn't mean that he didn't care about Vada, to some extent. He would do this for any of his friends if they were in a similar state. "I'll stay here all night if I have to. I'll just sit out here in the hall and talk to you through the door. How does that sound?"

Hal grinned, though he knew Vada couldn't see it, and it quickly slipped off his face. He sat down, cross-legged, with his back to the wall next to the door, prepared to settle in for the night...

So it struck him as a complete surprise when the door clicked open, and a familiar pale face peeked out. "Come in. _Now."_

"Uh, sure, okay." Hal scrambled to his feet.

The instant he made it inside, Vada slammed shut the door - and summoned a powerful, crackling bolt of lighting. He held it between his hands, the lightning casting harsh highlights upon his face, making him look like a terrible embodiment of justice. Hal flung himself back against the door, but he couldn't escape. He was too close to Vada.

"Wait, wait, wait, Imilai! Stop! Look, chocolate! I got you chocolate!" Babbling, Hal held out the pot of mousse.

Just as quickly as he'd cast the lightning, Vada dispelled it. The room plunged back into darkness.

"Imilai," Hal said, blinking. The sudden change in lighting had almost blinded him.

Vada stumbled toward a chair. Vada, _stumbling._ Hal had never imagined he would see such a sight. And - and he wasn't wearing his uniform with the fancy embroidery and stupid cape. Instead, he was in a loose black silk robe. His sleeping clothes, they must be.

His hair was down as well, lank dark strands falling into his eyes. Eyes duller than Hal had ever seen them. His face was pale and pinched, which made sense considering he hadn't eaten in three days.

The room reeked of unwashed clothes and wine. Sure enough, there was an open bottle on the stand beside the chair.

"Underage drinking?" Hal said. "Really, Mr. Perfect?"

"Fuck you," Vada said. He then poured himself a full glass of the white wine and tossed it back like it was liquor.

"You can't live off wine," Hal said. "Come on, eat some food. I got you some chocolate. Dark chocolate full of antioxidants. It's got fruit, too, healthy."

"You are a moron," Vada pronounced.

"Maybe I am," Hal said, "but I'm _worried_ for you, man. Why are you living like this?"

As Hal spoke, Xargo slinked out of the bedroom and into the reception room, scarlet eyes glowing in the darkness. Hal gulped, but the night-dragon went up to Vada's side and brushed against Vada's leg. Vada sighed, his eyes falling half shut, and stroked Xargo's head.

At least Vada hadn't been totally alone all this time. Still, to be cooped up in this dark, dim place for that long, and - and wait, what was that sparkling on the floor? Broken glass?

"Imilai, it's dangerous in here! You're walking around barefoot!" Hal keened.

"Shut up. Your voice is so loud," Vada growled, covering his face with one hand.

Hal hunted for the source of the broken glass. His stomach flipped. A display case rested against the wall, but all the glass had been smashed, and the various trophies, medals, and ribbons inside had been scattered all over the floor. And shattered into pieces.

"Imilai, all your stuff!"

"It's useless shit."

"Imilai, please...what happened?" Hal reached for Vada, but stopped when Vada visibly flinched.

"Nothing happened."

"That's a bit hard to believe," Hal said.

"Fine. Something happened, but I will never tell you. Understand, Thorner?"

Hal gulped. "I get it, man. If you don't want to talk about it...but you can't live like this. You've got to leave eventually and go on with your life."

"You think I don't know that?" Vada turned his head sharply to the side. "Why, why the fuck _are_ you here, Thorner? Come to see how low I've fallen? Well, you've gotten a good look."

"No," Hal said, stung. "I'm here 'cause I'm concerned about you."

"You? Concerned about me?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm not in love with you, okay, but I think I know you well enough by now to call you a friend. I don't like seeing any of my friends upset."

"You're a child," Vada sneered. A pause, and then, "Not much of a friend you are, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." Vada's head drooped. For the first time, Hal noticed the marks on his wrists, like half-healed cuts.

If they looked like that - Vada was an elf, with their healing ability. If they looked like that, then the original cuts must have been serious.

"Imilai!" Alarmed, Hal moved closer. "What were you doing?"

"Oh." Vada's gaze fell on his wrists. Then he laughed, a low, poisonous sound that took Hal a moment to identify as laughter. "It's stupid, isn't it? Couldn't even do _this_ right. Couldn't go through with it. I'm a coward."

"Imilai, seriously, you're scaring me. I don't know what happened, but - but it's serious."

"And it has nothing to do with you."

"I'm your friend." Hal sat down in front of Vada's chair. "I won't leave."

"Oh, for the love of..." Vada's voice caught. He pressed his hand over his eyes, but Hal heard the sob in his voice, saw the tears trickling out from behind his hand.

"Imilai." Hal sat there, frozen, helpless. He could only watch as Vada trembled, sobbing quietly and hiccuping. The sound seemed to fill up every empty space in the room, growing more and more uncomfortable to listen to.

Hal had to do something, but what? He had the sense Vada didn't want to be touched in this situation. Hal swallowed. What - what - _what_ -

It had been so much simpler with Rayton. He knew what would have saved Rayton. Convinced him, somehow, to stay home from war. That he wasn't old enough, that he wasn't ready.

But Hal didn't know what troubled Vada. He didn't know where to begin.

Still, he had to try.

He got up, walked into Vada's bedroom even though he felt a little guilty about it. He didn't look around for long, just enough to grab the blanket off the bed. Black, like most of the decor here. He ran back to Vada and draped it carefully over him.

Vada's hand slid down from his face. He blinked at Hal with teary eyes.

"Just, just to keep you warm," Hal stammered.

"You don't need to." Vada's voice was a rough rasp.

"Is there anything else I can do for you? Want me to brew you some tea, maybe?"

Vada shook his head. Then he gasped sharply, bent forward, and buried his face in his hands. Hal had the distinct feeling he'd started crying again.

Vada Imilai, crying. The thought was almost beyond Hal's imagination. Yes, he'd seen plenty of faces of Vada that weren't the cold, stoic Mr. Perfect, but there seemed almost something far too personal about _this._ Seeing Vada's weaknesses. All the times they'd had sex, Vada had still been in control in some way. Like this, he had no control. And he knew it.

It made Hal feel sick. He knew how much Vada prided his self-control. To have it ripped away from him like this...

Hal decided to busy himself cleaning the place up. He didn't turn on the lights, because he felt that Vada probably had a hangover of some sort, but he found cleaning supplies and set to work sweeping up the broken glass, straightening the cushions on the couches, and putting the trophies back as best he could. The broken ones, he bagged. But he didn't throw them away. Vada might not want them anymore, but it struck Hal as a shame to just toss them like old trash.

When he was done, he realized with a skittering sensation that Vada was watching him.

"Uh, Imilai?" he said.

Vada was no longer crying, though tear trails glimmered on his face. "Why...why are you doing this all for me?" he whispered.

"Because it's like I said. I'm your friend." Hal paused. "I'm sorry for saying I was in love with you. You're right, I was probably influenced by your pheromones. But I know that this - _this_ isn't because of the pheromones. I really do want to help you."

"Help me." Vada let out a choked laugh. "Pheromones. Damn it. Shit. Fuck." He lowered his head, burying his hands in his hair. "I fucking hate it. I wish I wasn't an incubus."

With a painful wrench in his chest, Hal began to have an inkling of why Vada was so upset. It had to do with sex. Possibly...possibly rape? _Oh, no, this is way above my pay grade._

All Hal knew was that somebody had hurt Vada. Had done this to him. Rage began to stir inside Hal, but Hal pushed it aside. It would do him no good.

Swallowing, Hal went and sat beside Vada's chair again, but taking care to keep a good amount of space between them. Even if he didn't know exactly how to deal with a rape victim - if that was what happened - he knew how to support a friend. "Um, Imilai, is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Talk about?" Vada frowned down at Hal.

"Yeah. Anything nice and light, that doesn't have anything to do with, well, you know. We can just talk about that."

For a moment Hal thought Vada wasn't going to take up his offer. Then Vada relaxed with a sigh and said, "My mother."

"Your mother?" Hal's spine prickled.

"My mother is an idiot and fool." Vada clenched his hands into fists. "She should have killed me after I was born."

Okay, this was _not_ a change in topic. "Imilai, come on - "

Vada spoke over Hal. "But I still love her. Idiot that I am, idiot that she is. Every time she gets together with a new man, I think - I hope - I wish he will be the one." He shook his head. "I always wanted a father."

"Tell me more about your mother. What's she like? Like her personality and stuff."

"She's a fool, like I said. Flighty. Can't stay focused on one thing for any period of time. She's always starting new projects and never finishing them." Another shake of his head. "Like that time she wanted to take up tree-singing, she even joined a company, but three weeks later she got rid of all her materials. Now she wants to raise chickens, because of course the human man she likes raises chickens." He snorted a little.

"You really do love her, don't you?" Hal said, smiling. "I'd like to meet her."

"Why?"

"She sounds like a nice woman. I'm sure she's very proud of you."

Oops, the wrong thing to say. All the color drained from Vada's face and he leaned back in his chair. The haunted look was back in his eyes.

_Oh, no!_ "Imilai, I'm sorry!" Hal bleated. "I didn't mean - I mean, it doesn't matter what you do or what you are. Mothers will always love you. That's what I meant."

Vada's expression softened slightly. "I know." A pause, and then, "I'm sorry."

"Huh? About what?"

"What I said to you...in the Armor Vault. It was wrong. Whoever that person in the locket is, they're important to you. I shouldn't have insulted them like that."

"His name is Rayton Thorner," Hal said. "My cousin." _My first love._ But he didn't need to tell that much to Vada.

"I see," Vada said.

"He died five years ago," Hal said. "Shortly before I went to the Centarium. He was thirteen."

Vada's expression softened further. With his hair down and his features gaunt, he looked so vulnerable. His whisper was barely louder than a puff of breath. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Hal said, even though it wasn't. "He wanted to go to the Centarium, too. It was his dream. But he was never able to. He didn't know how to read. So I went in his place."

"Is that why it never seemed like you belonged here? I always wondered..."

"I do belong here," Hal said, defensive.

"Is that so?" Vada leaned toward Hal, and to Hal's relief there was a slight teasing light in his eyes. Slowly, he was returning more to the Vada who Hal knew.

"Yeah." Hal lifted his chin. "I have my friends. I have Pency. And I have you."

"Thorner." Vada's eyes widened. To Hal's shock, tears brimmed anew in them.

"Sorry, sorry!" Hal waved his hands. "Don't cry! Uh, we'll think of something else to talk about..."

"No, I'm sorry." Vada sniffled a bit, then wiped his eyes. "This is shameful."

"There's nothing shameful about having emotions, Mr. Perfect."

"What would you know, idiot?"

"So now I'm not 'virgin' anymore?" Hal teased.

"Oh, you will always be a virgin." Vada's lips lifted in a brief smile, gone as soon as it appeared. But it was a smile nonetheless. Hal felt like pumping his fist in the air. _Victory!_

"But," Vada said, turning to face Hal, "that isn't such a bad thing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! You readers mean everything to me. Hopefull next update won't be so late!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear these updates used to be on time...well, as a reward for your patient waiting, have a chapter where things are nicer between Hal and Vada!

Hal spent the rest of the night together with Vada. Not doing anything sexual, not touching, but just sitting next to each other and talking. They didn't talk about heavy subjects again. Just some chatter about school, the upcoming Cotillion, Vada's favorite classes, Hal's favorite dishes, both of their favorite stories of Nassat. By the end of it all, Vada even took a few bites of the mousse, though stopped quickly; it was too rich for him.

But he smiled and said, "Dark chocolate is my favorite."

Hal's heart swelled.

After that, Vada went to sleep. Hal stayed up, by his side, sometimes stroking Xargo's flank when the night-dragon wandered by.

Then Hal took the opportunity to quietly get rid of the wine. He figured Vada didn't need to get any drunker.

He would have liked to move Vada to the bed, but Xargo growled at him every time Hal moved toward the bedroom, so Hal gave up on that. Besides, he wasn't entirely certain about the prospect of lifting Vada. He probably could do so; despite being taller, Vada was lighter than him. Yet the thought of touching Vada's skin, covered only by that flimsy silk robe, made Hal's stomach squirm.

Especially after knowing what had happened to him...

_Whoever did this_ , Hal thought, fevered with rage, _is the worst person in the world._

That raised the question of Vada's not-Hal sex life again, though. Which wasn't a topic Hal was keen to turn to, but he couldn't help but wonder about. Especially now. Did other people know that Vada was an incubus? No, that couldn't be. Vada had guarded the secret so carefully, and only revealed it to Hal because of that snafu with the aphrodisiac potion. Maybe he just slept with a lot of other people for the thrill of it, or in order to feed his incubus side.

And one of them had hurt him.

Hal really, _really_ wanted to wring that person's neck.

Despite his best efforts, Hal must have nodded off too, because the next thing he knew he was squinting in a sudden beam of light, and Vada was standing upright and gazing out of the window.

"Oh!" Hal jerked up, feeling like he'd been caught napping in class. "Imilai, you're awake."

"I should be saying that to you." Vada cast Hal a brief glance over his shoulder, his expression unreadable.

"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to sleep." Slowly, Hal lumbered to his feet. His entire body felt like it was made of logs, and he'd developed a nasty cramp in his neck on account of having fallen asleep leaning against a chair.

"What, were you planning on hovering over me all night?" Vada's voice held a tinge of annoyance. As Hal watched him, he noticed with a start that Vada's hair was dripping wet and he'd wrapped himself in a surprisingly fluffy-looking bathrobe. He must have just finished showering.

Like this, he looked even more innocent and disarmed, and that stirred to life uncomfortable feelings inside Hal. He squirmed a little, remembering what Vada had said about Hal's so-called feelings for him. _What you really like is the contrast between my outward appearance and my real self._

It was true Hal liked seeing Vada like this, stripped of his masks, far more than the cold Mr. Perfect. Was it solely out of some sick desire to see Vada weak and vulnerable and pathetic?

"Anyway, it's eleven in the morning. It's not too late for you to go to class."

"Uh, what about you?"

Vada's mouth twitched, but he didn't speak. He clearly had no intention to go to class today, or anytime soon.

Hal sighed. "So when are you going to class?"

"Is it any of your business?" A sneer flashed across Vada's face, but vanished as quickly as it appeared, as if he didn't have the enthusiasm to make it last longer.

"You can't stay like this forever. Your friends are worried about you."

Vada jerked. "I don't have friends."

"Well, your posse, minions, whatever. The whispers have even reached the first years, you know?"

Vada sucked in a shuddering breath, then leaned forward and braced his hands against the windowsill. He shook his head, his loose, damp hair flapping. Again, Hal tried and failed not to stare.

"I know, I have to...just give me one more day. One more day should be fine, right?"

As if Vada needed Hal's permission. "It's okay, man," Hal said. "Take whatever time you need."

"Now that we've settled on that," Vada said, some of his old briskness returning to his voice, "you should go to class."

"No, I'll stay with you."

"Why?" Vada whirled around, glaring at Hal. "What the hell is your problem? Do you enjoy seeing me brought low this fucking much?"

"It's not that!" Hal protested, a little too strongly. "It's - I told you, you're my friend, I'm worried about you."

" _Friend_. You've just been entrapped by my pheromones. For you, sexual attraction manifests as the desire to chivalrously save the poor, suffering maiden."

The bitterness in Vada's voice slapped Hal like an icy wind. And just made him want to fight back harder. "It's got nothing to do with pheromones - "

"Everything has to do with that. I can't have normal friendships or relationships. Why do I have such an effortless time gathering people around me? Because my powers are attracting them, whether I realize it or not."

"No, it's because you're an admirable person, you idiot!" Hal shouted. "You worked hard and so you're the top at the Centarium. Do you think you'd have so many friends, minions, whatever, if you were the worst?"

Vada let loose a shuddering breath. Hal was glad that he didn't have any actual retort at hand. Maybe Hal's message was reaching him.

"And this shit about chivalrously saving maidens or whatever, no, I'd do it even if I wasn't attracted to you," Hal said furiously, thinking of Rayton, Rayton walking away to his death and Hal unable to do to stop it. "If someone needs my help, then you can bet I'll do whatever I can to help."

_I won't fail another person again._

"Thorner, you don't know what you're saying." Vada's voice was dull.

"I know just fine," Hal said. "So I'll stay with you for one more day."

"Your friends will worry."

"I already said that you're my friend too."

Vada took one step closer to Hal, then stopped. He took a deep breath, raking a hand through his hair, making the wet strands stick up in a vague approximation of his typical spikes. When he looked back at Hal, his eyes were lidded, a mysterious smile playing across his lips.

Damn him, Hal's heart beat faster. Even though he knew it was just a manipulation.

"I'm not up to it right now," Vada said, low and husky, "but I will reward you, you have my word."

"I don't want that kind of reward, you asshole," Hal fumed. "I already said it shouldn't be a reward."

"Too bad. It's all I can give. And it's what you want, no matter how you try to deny it."

Hal swallowed, momentarily lost in memories of moving inside Vada, of Vada moaning beneath him - but he pushed them back. If he gave any indication that was what he was thinking about, he'd have lost. Most decidedly.

"I can't just waste your time like this," Vada said, leaning against the windowsill. Just like that, all traces of teasing seduction left his body, and Hal could breathe a little easier.

"I don't see it as a waste," Hal said firmly. "Like I said, I'm glad to help."

Vada shook his head, slowly at first, then faster and faster as if trying to deny something to himself. He mumbled something so quiet Hal almost didn't hear it. But some shuddering part of him thought it sounded like, "If this is a dream, don't wake me."

Was Vada so unused to people going out of their way for him that he'd rather believe this was a dream? Hal's stomach turned.

"So what do you want to do today?" Hal said. "Since we've got plenty of time, Imilai. Want to study? You have a lot of catch-up homework."

Vada shook his head, shocking Hal. "Mr. Perfect, did you get a personality transplant?"

Vada looked annoyed. "How about I'll say that today I want to conduct an experiment and find out what it is like to inhabit the life of a loser such as yourself."

"It's not that great," Hal said. "When I skip class, most of what I do is sleep."

"I've had it with sleeping." Vada's eyes narrowed. "How about this. I want to fuck."

"Say what?" Hal felt like he'd been punched in the head. "Hold on, but you just said, you didn't feel like - "

"I said I didn't feel like giving you a reward. But right now, I want to fuck for _fun_. The way I like it. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Uh - " What the hell? No matter what, Hal simply couldn't understand Vada's thought processes. Hadn't he just been raped? Wouldn't he want to stay as far away from sex as possible? Hal certainly would.

But Vada wasn't Hal, and the next thing Hal thought was totally wiped from his mind when Vada shed the bathrobe in a single smooth motion. Now he stood before Hal, completely naked, his markings beginning to appear across his smooth, still-damp skin.

Hal's eyes dropped to Vada's cock, already flushed and hardening. An answering twinge came from Hal's own cock. He squirmed.

Vada snickered. "You want it, don't you? Don't even try to deny it, you poor chivalrous sod."

"I - I - listen," Hal squeaked. "Are you sure you're in the right mind for this?"

Vada's eyes flashed. "Now you're questioning my mental state? What gives you the right to do that, virgin?"

"I just - just don't want you to do anything you'll regret later - "

"Thorner, I have never regretted having sex with you."

Those words, boldly stated, shot through Hal's heart like an arrow. His jaw dropped. Really? Not even the first time, when they'd only done it because of the aphrodisiac potion? Not even the two times when he'd done it out of a sense of obligation? But no, here Vada was smirking at Hal with lidded eyes, his scent so rich, so powerful, so - inviting.

Hal took a trembling step forward.

In a flash, Vada was in front of him. He bent down and unzipped Hal's pants, yanked his cock out of his fly. Hal let loose a gargled cry as Vada immediately began stroking and squeezing the tender, throbbing flesh. "W-wait, wait, Imilai!"

"I said we're doing this my way, and this is what I want to do right now," Vada said, before ducking down over Hal's cock and pushing it all the way into his mouth. Hal moaned, his legs quaking, as his length slid into the warm, wet confines. Then he felt Vada's lips wrap around his cock, sucking with abandon, and all thought fled from Hal's mind.

He sank to his knees; Vada went down with him. He pulled away, smirking up at Hal. "Too much for you, virgin?"

"S-sorry," Hal managed to sputter. He was completely out of his breath, and his cock was already bright red and hard. He thrust forward, trying to get it back into Vada's mouth, but Vada lifted himself away from Hal.

"Hey, wait - "

"Come here." Vada gestured. "To the wall."

Confused, Hal did so, his cock bouncing as he walked. Which only drove dull knives of pleasure deeper into his body. Whatever Vada had in mind, he'd better make it quick, because combined with Vada's scent and the sight of his naked body moving so sinuously, Hal was teetering dangerously close to the precipice.

_So soon? I guess I really am a virgin..._

Vada pressed his hands to the wall and leaned forward, lowering his head. He spread his legs and thrust out his ass, revealing his pulsing, already slick entrance. Hal's cock jumped even higher.

"Like, like this?" Hal said, coming up behind Vada.

Vada glared at Hal over his shoulder. "If you have the endurance to do it standing up."

"Of course I do!" Although Hal hadn't been able to remain standing for the blowjob. Vada snorted a bit and turned back around, and Hal took that as his cue.

Taking a deep breath, he moved in close, so close that all he could breathe was Vada's thick, syrupy scent. It made his head whirl. Carefully, he wrapped one arm around Vada's chest, feeling the muscles tense beneath his grip, then with his other hand helped to push his cock into the open, waiting entrance.

Just like that, the familiar, beautiful sensation of Vada's slick, hot insides squeezing his cock flooded him. He pushed his way deeper, feeling like he was being sucked in, and moaned, long and low, as he tightened his grip on Vada. Vada moaned as well, his entire body stiffening; Hal could feel his spine pushing up beneath his skin.

Hal could just barely fit his head over Vada's shoulder; he bent and planted a kiss on the pulsing skin where Vada's neck met his shoulder. Vada's skin tasted sweet, just like his scent. Vada gasped. And pushed his hips back, swallowing more of Hal's cock.

Hal's legs trembled. Gritting his teeth, he locked them in place. No, he was not going to run out of stamina.

"Imilai," he whispered as he slid his hands over Vada's chest. "Imilai, at any point, if, if you want me to stop, just say - "

"What, afraid you won't last?" Vada sneered, but his voice held a breathless excitement that made Hal's pulse come quicker.

"No," Hal said into Vada's skin, then thrust in deeper. The tip of his cock hit Vada's prostate, making them both moan.

He tightened his grip on Vada's hip, pulling Vada closer to him, so when he thrust back inside he pressed down on Vada's prostate again. Vada's hands curled into fists; he arched his back and keened.

Hal began planting kisses down the slope of Vada's spine, tracing the twining markings with his tongue. Vada tasted so good. Hal couldn't get enough of his skin. In front, his hands moved to Vada's nipples, carefully and gently massaging the tender buds.

"Mm, ohh, ohh." Vada pushed his hips harder, more insistently, grinding down on Hal's cock. "Feels good, feels so good, Thorner - "

An idea came to Hal and he rolled his hips, the effort of the movement making him sweat - but it was all worth it for Vada's reaction; he cried out, high and thin, tossing his head back. And his insides clamped down harder on Hal's cock, until all Hal could feel was their pulsing, throbbing heat, massaging every inch of his cock.

"Nn, Imilai, Imilai," Hal breathed against Vada's neck, drawing in Vada's scent with each breath. The sweet fragrance of plums was mixed with the clean fresh smell of soap, exciting Hal further. He sucked and licked at Vada's neck, leaving behind livid red marks on the pale skin.

Vada tossed his head to the side, giving Hal more room to work. Hal moved up, stood on his tiptoes - which shifted his cock inside Vada, making Vada gasp - and trailed his tongue along the fine angle of Vada's jaw. Then up, moving his mouth toward Vada's -

Until Vada jerked his head sharply away. Hal's head fell back down to his shoulder.

"No, no kissing," Vada hissed, pushing back harder against Hal. Hal's cock struck his prostate one more time, sending electric tingles through Hal's entire body.

Even so, Hal had the clarity of mind to gasp out, "I really, I really wanna kiss you, Imilai - "

"Too fucking bad, _ohh_ ," as Hal rolled his hips again. "Thorner, Thorner, you're so good, feels so good, feels..."

His voice broke. He began to tremble against Hal. Something penetrated the fog of pleasure around Hal - concern. "Shit, wait. Are you crying?"

"I'm not," Vada said, but his voice was thick with tears. "I'm n...I'm fine, keep going, keep going!"

"I, I don't know, I mean, if you're crying - "

"It's not because you're _bad_! Keep going, I said!"

Hal didn't need much more encouragement than that. He still felt a cold tendril of discontent that Vada was crying, but his cock was still deep inside Vada and he was still breathing Vada's scent and it was difficult to imagine stopping, not now. He thrust harder and Vada's low sob vanished into a laugh, rising ever higher.

"Mm, good, good, Thorner, ahh." Vada arched his back, pushed his hips out further than ever before. His insides were clenching and unclenching around Hal's cock, sending alternating pulses of pleasure through Hal's body. "Feels good, so good, make me forget - "

_Make me forget._ So that was what this was all about.

In that case, Hal was more than happy to oblige. He wanted, no, _needed_ , to show Vada that sex could be fun, could be joyful, wasn't just another form of pain you could inflict on another person. Somebody else had damaged it for Vada, but Hal would do what he could - whatever minuscule amount he could - to make it better.

Hal thrust deeper than ever before, his grip clamping down tight on Vada's hip, and Vada let go of the wall and pressed himself against Hal, throwing his arms around Hal's neck. He tilted his head up and Hal stared into his golden eyes, his flushed, slightly parted lips, and again the powerful urge to kiss him surged through Hal -

Just as his orgasm poured from him, cum shooting into Vada's slick, heaving insides. He shook and trembled and groaned, staggering backwards and carrying Vada with him. He lost his footing and fell, and Vada landed on top of him. Hal's cock shifted position inside Vada, even while still spurting cum. Cum splashed onto Hal's thighs. Vada moaned, his entire body tautening, before coming as well.

Hal lay there, completely spent, feeling empty and drained but filled with a warm, contented glow. It had been some of the best sex he'd had with Vada - even his virgin self could tell that. He smiled, hummed, reached up and lightly carded his fingers through Vada's hair.

At least until Vada smacked his hand away. Then Vada rolled over on top of Hal, letting go of Hal's soft cock, and glared down into Hal's eyes.

"Seriously, virgin? And you were doing so well."

"The wall," Hal blathered. "You weren't leaning against the wall anymore, I had to carry your weight."

"What, is it too much for you? Perhaps somebody should brush up on his basic physical training."

Hal groaned. "Why do you have to be such an ass?"

To Hal's surprise, Vada's expression softened, his long lashes fluttering. "I'm sorry."

"Eh?" Hal jerked. "Are you - did you actually just - "

Now the softness was gone, replaced by annoyance. "I can compliment someone on a job well done, you know."

"You started crying," Hal said.

"That's because," Vada murmured, absently tracing patterns on Hal's chest, "it felt so good."

"Even though I'm a virgin?"

"Because you're a virgin."

Hal started to wonder what exactly "virgin" meant to Vada by this point. Yet he sensed Vada wouldn't want to tell him.

Without thinking, Hal reached out and took Vada's hand. Vada stiffened in surprise, but Hal wove their fingers together, admiring the contrast between his earthy skin and Vada's icy pallor. Then he pressed a kiss to the back of Vada's hand.

"What - what - " Vada's face flushed a wonderful, delicate shade of pink.

"Just showing my appreciation," Hal said. "That was good for me, too."

"Thorner." Vada's fingers stretched, and for a wild moment Hal thought he was going to let go, but instead, he wound his fingers tighter around Hal's, squeezing Hal's hand. Then he bent down low, so close to Hal that their noses brushed, so close that all Hal could see of him were his brilliant golden eyes, so bright Hal could see his own reflection in them.

Hal couldn't speak. He was arrested in silence. Vada's lips were less than an inch from his...

And then Vada turned sharply away and untwined his fingers from Hal's. Hal whined a protest, but Vada sat up, moving off of Hal. The absence of his warm weight made Hal's heart ache.

Hal sat up as well, even though his exhausted body fought him every step of the way. By now, Vada had picked up his bathrobe and was sliding back into it. Hal pushed down a ridiculous surge of disappointment. They were doing this Vada's way. If Vada didn't want Hal to admire his naked body, then Hal wouldn't do so.

When Vada turned back toward Hal, his markings had faded to almost nothing; they were as pale as scars. "Thorner, do you want to shower first?"

"Oh, uh," Hal said. _Why not together?_ Well, because it wasn't what Vada wanted. "Okay, sure. You - you'll be fine?"

"Yes," Vada snapped. "Don't fret, you fool. I can live without you hovering over me."

For some reason, a smile twitched Hal's lips. _I can live._ Good. Vada wasn't going to consider cutting himself again. It felt like a large weight had been lifted off Hal's chest, making it easier for him to breathe.

"And Thorner?" A pause, then Vada ducked his head, blushing. "Thank you."

_Wow,_ Hal thought, _he looks adorable like that._

A sentiment he was never, ever going to voice aloud. He rather valued his dick too much.

So instead, Hal said, "You're welcome."

* * *

After they got cleaned up, to Hal's surprise Vada dressed in his uniform and spiked his hair. Gone was the gaunt wreck who Hal had first found drowning his sorrows with wine, though he still did look a little pale. He was back to the cold, commanding Mr. Perfect.

"I thought you said one more day," Hal blurted.

"I feel better now. I'll go to afternoon classes, and extra classes after that. I expect you will be there too, of course." It wasn't a question.

"Are you sure - "

"Don't question me, Thorner." Vada's voice was an irritated snap. A much more familiar sound, but Hal had rather preferred the soft thanks from earlier.

Which again made Hal uncomfortable. It was just more proof that in the end, what Hal liked most about Vada was seeing him in a vulnerable state. Vada was right; he could not call that love.

Vada finished putting on his armor pieces and strapping on Dark Star. He called Xargo, who slinked into the room, and with a blush Hal wondered if the beast had heard or seen their fucking. If he did, he made no comment on it, not that Hal was sure if Xargo could speak. Together they headed toward the door, and Hal watched Vada's precise steps, his cape swishing behind him, and suppressed an aching sense of loss.

Their moment, their _intimacy_ , had to end. Of course it did.

"Thorner, what are you doing?" Vada stopped at the door.

"Oh, right." Swallowing, Hal stepped up to Vada's side.

Vada put his hand on the doorknob. But he didn't open it. Instead, he was looking at Hal, his expression grave.

"What? What is it? Do I have something on my face?"

"No, I..." Vada shook his head. "Thorner, I have something to ask of you. A selfish request, perhaps, but..."

"Sure, ask away. As long as it's not anything insane." _More sex?_ Hal was looking forward to that prospect. This time, he wouldn't jilt Vada.

"Would you..." Vada drew in a deep breath, raked a hand through his spikes. "Would you come with me to the Cotillion?"

"Huh?" Hal blinked. And blinked. And blinked.

Then it struck him in one great rush. Exactly what Vada had said. "You - you want me - you want me to be your _date_?"

Vada looked peeved. "You don't have to. Forget it, it was ridiculous of me."

"I mean, why?"

Vada sighed, and for a flash Hal saw him as the vulnerable young man in the bathrobe again, not Mr. Perfect. "I don't trust anybody else. None of them...I don't know. If you were with me, Thorner..."

"Is this, uh, a love confession?" Hal's stupid big fat mouth blurted.

Vada jerked like he'd been slapped. His face flooded red. "Absolutely not. I am simply asking because - because - because you're my friend."

With that, he lowered his head, his blush climbing all the way to the pointed tips of his ears. _So cute, so cute,_ squealed that most imprudent voice in Hal's mind, which Hal mercilessly crushed. Though it was kind of a sweet sight.

And it made Hal's heart beat faster. "Imilai..."

"You said - you said we're friends, right?" Vada lifted his head a little, though he was still blushing. "So - so - you usually go to the Cotillion with your friends, right?"

Yeah, at least until Cinda and Rodmont ditched him to go have some fun without the third wheel. Then he'd roam about accepting hors d'ouevres from the servants but feeling superfluous considering all the couples and families roaming about.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be with another person the whole time.

"What about you?" Hal said. "You usually go with your friends, don't you?"

"They are not my friends," Vada said with surprising passion.

Yes, definitely, one of them had raped Vada. Which one? Smug Rhys Feyler? Hal imagined wringing Rhys' neck, and it was a most satisfying sensation.

"Okay," Hal said, meeting Vada's gaze. "I'll come with you."

Vada blinked. "Really?"

"I mean, you asked."

"I didn't think you'd accept."

"Are you regretting it now?"

Vada shook his head, a small smile playing across his lips. _A smile!_ Hal's heart melted into a puddle of goop. At last, he'd managed to wring a real smile from Vada. Everything he'd done in here had ultimately been worth it.

"Good, 'cause I don't regret it either," Hal said.

As they walked out together, it took all of Hal's effort not to reach for Vada's hand. They weren't a couple, and they weren't going on a date at the Cotillion. But Hal's spirits still felt high enough for him to fly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's two nice chapters in a row...wow, things have been going quite well for Vada so far. Be a shame if something bad happened, eh?
> 
> Thanks as always for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't last chapter nice? Well, Vada's life turns to hell again this chapter.

After Vada finished the day's Taming class, Grand Hierophant Shell took him aside and said, "After class, come to my office."

Foolishly, pathetically, Vada tried to get out of his coming fate. "I have to attend extra classes."

"You can attend them starting tomorrow. We need to have a word."

Vada hung his head, desperately aware that his hangers-on were clustered by the door, waiting for him to leave. "Yes, sir."

The rest of the day passed torturously slow. He was already growing sick of fending off his followers' questions. He'd told them he'd been sick for the past several days, but each time he repeated the story he felt more and more weary with it. He just wanted to go to his room and rest some more - but he couldn't.

So after class, rather than walk to extra classes, Vada headed back into Ryger's Taming complex.

The Taming complex was located near the bottom levels of Ryger, a building with a large sand yard and a row of stalls and stables. Through the stable doors Vada could see glimpses of pale, ethereal unicorns, and a few students on punishment duty scooping up their manure. Vada walked away from them and into the building.

Hierophant Shell's office was just like the man himself, plain and unassuming. It smelled of animal feed, like the entire Taming complex did. Two aquariums lined the walls, as well as several terrariums and cages.

A new cage stood behind the desk, as tall as a man and covered with black cloth. It shook and rattled the nearer Vada came to it. His stomach turned.

Vada wasn't alone in the office. Hierophant Pember was there as well, and the Lord Superior Hierophant in the corner.

The instant Vada saw the Lord Superior Hierophant, he fell to his knees and bowed. "Lord Superior Hierophant, please forgive my inexcusable conduct for the past three days."

"Foolish little boy," sighed the Lord Superior Hierophant. "You're the best Devotee in the Centarium, yet you're skipping classes for three days straight? Most disreputable behavior."

"It needs to be corrected," Pember said. "Otherwise it might be a bad example for your peers to follow."

"Remember your status," rumbled Shell.

Vada squeezed his eyes shut, bit his lip. Whatever they had in store for him had to be terrible, perhaps even worse than that enema. It was hard to imagine anything worse, but he'd learned over the years that these men were nothing if not creative.

Shell yanked the cloth off the cage. Using all his effort, all his willpower, praying to Ghestruel the entire while, Vada forced his eyes open.

The creature inside was as huge as a man, burly and muscular. But it was covered in thick brown fur, and its head was that of an ox, with wicked horns and beady, mindless black eyes. And its - its cock was enormous, already hard and dripping with milky liquid at the tip...

Vada had seen such creatures in his Taming textbooks. A minotaur demon.

"P-please," he said, instantly in begging mode. "Please, I beg you - "

"Vada, I have had enough of your pathetic attempts to worm your way out of well-deserved punishments." The Lord Superior Hierophant's voice thundered down at him. "You will accept this punishment without complaint, or we will unleash more of Hierophant Shell's menagerie upon you. _Is that clear?"_

Vada's voice was a breathless gasp. "Please - "

_"Is that clear?"_

"Yes," he whispered, tears stinging his eyes. "Yes, sir."

"Your body will know what to do, anyway. Minotaurs regularly rape incubi and succubi in the wild," commented Pember, his tone light and academic. Vada felt even sicker. He wondered how these men would react if he vomited on the floor right here and now.

Hierophant Shell walked over to the cage, stuck in the key in the lock, and twisted. Then he shoved the door open.

The creature wore a heavy collar attached to a chain; Hierophant Shell grabbed the chain and led the minotaur out of the cage. Each of its heavy steps shook the entire office. Vada crawled backward, terror thrumming in his chest.

"Right there," Shell said, pointing at Vada. "A beautiful young incubus for your consumption."

"No, please." As Vada crawled further backward, something clanked against the floor next to him. His sword.

He - he was still fully clothed. In his sword and armor. He grabbed Dark Star with sweaty palms and drew it and lashed dark miraculous energy at the minotaur -

But it glanced off the minotaur's armor-like hide. The Hierophants chuckled as one. Amused by his attempts to fight back.

No, he could do this - he would do it. He was the top Devotee in the Centarium. He could fight and kill a demon. Vada pulled himself up into a stance, sword held before him, heart pounding a violent rhythm in his chest. He opened his mouth, prepared to shout the secret words that would activate his armor -

But the minotaur had been marching closer and closer to him all this time, and when it came near enough to waft its awful stench over him, a quiver raked through Vada's entire body - and seemed to sap his strength with it. He gasped, struggled to keep his legs upright. But they were shaking too badly. Each shuddering step the creature took closer, the weaker Vada felt. His head was spinning. He felt that Dark Star might slide out of his hands at any second.

"Minotaurs can exude pheromones that weaken the physical strength of incubi and succubi," Shell said, as if this were an ordinary lecture.

Vada hissed, trying to lift Dark Star, but the sword now felt like a block of lead. His arms just didn't have the strength to hold it up. It clattered from his grip -

Just as the minotaur reached out a huge, meaty hand and ripped open his jacket and shirt.

Vada gasped as his bare skin was exposed. He dove for his sword again, but the minotaur's hand closed around his wrists. And crushed them together.

Vada shouted in pain. _Fight back, fight back, it can't end this quickly_! He tried to kick, but the minotaur's reach was too long. It hauled him up into the air, staring down at him with unmistakable lust in its awful black eyes. Its other hand ripped more of Vada's clothes, tearing off his armor, his shirt, his jacket, his pants, his cape.

"No, no, stop," Vada gasped, already reduced to begging. "No, stop, please - "

But of course the monster wouldn't listen. It flung him down to the floor. Vada tried crawling away, but the minotaur's huge hands closed around his waist, wrapping all the way around, and it crouched down behind him.

_"No!"_ Vada made one last mad attempt at crawling forward - if only he could reach Dark Star - but the sword lay by the door, so far away, and the minotaur pushed forward and speared him in a single violent thrust.

Vada screamed so high his throat burned. The minotaur's huge, thick cock filled up every single inch of his insides, pushing him open so wide that it stole the breath from his lungs. Sobbing in pain, he still tried crawling forward, but the minotaur tightened its grip around his waist and yanked him back, forcing him to take more and more and even more of it -

Tears rolled down Vada's cheeks. Just this morning, he'd slept with Thorner, but it already felt like a long-forgotten pleasant dream. Desperately, he tried to cling to the memory of Thorner's gentle touch, Thorner's mouth tracing his markings, Thorner moving inside him with such heated passion - but it was impossible to feel any of that, not at this moment, when the minotaur was tearing him apart from the inside with mad, fierce thrusts, each slamming directly onto his prostate.

Vada wailed and blubbered. The minotaur lifted one paw from his waist and grabbed his wrists with the other, jerking his arms back, forcing him to lift his head. This position pushed Vada further onto its giant cock.

_"Please! Please stop, anything, I'll do anything, just please stop!"_

"From now on," the Lord Superior Hierophant said, "take your punishments like a good boy."

_"I will, I will I will I promise I promise! Stop! Stop! I'm begging you, stop!"_

But of course the beast couldn't listen to reason. Its grip clamped down harder, leaving bruises. He could feel hot liquid dripping down his thighs with each savage thrust. Not cum. As an incubus, he could take quite a lot inside, but this - this was just too much.

The monster grunted and growled as it shoved Vada along its length. Vada breathed in more of its foul stench and wept harder. _Someone, someone anyone save me -_

_Mother -_

_Thorner -_

Vada slammed down on the thought the instant it came to him. Even in the throes of his agony and humiliation, he knew he could not depend on Thorner as his savior. Thorner was a friend, but that was just it. Just someone who it was fun to have sex with on occasion, someone who could make him forget the misery of the rest of his existence if only for a moment. But Vada couldn't ever reveal his deepest secret to Thorner. Depend on Thorner to save him from this life that he'd chosen himself.

The minotaur thrust deeper than ever, pounding so hard on Vada's prostate that Vada gagged. Bile rose in his throat. But dull electric jolts of pleasure were shooting through his body, and he writhed when the monster came, spilling its burning hot cum into his thoroughly fucked and abused insides. It kept coming and coming, gushing out around the minotaur's cock and mixing with the blood staining his thighs.

Then the minotaur flipped him over. Vada landed on his back, his hips and ass raised. The minotaur grabbed his legs and hauled them over its broad shoulders. Vada stared in horror at his own twitching and pulsing cock, at the minotaur's thick rod already bulging with veins and hard again.

It pushed its way forward...

"No!" Vada screamed, thrashing as much as he could in the minotaur's relentless grip. "No, please, I've had enough, that's enough, _that's enough!"_

"I told you to take your punishments like a good boy." The Lord Superior Hierophant's voice seemed to drift from far away, but was even more terrible than the minotaur's animalistic grunts.

"Besides, you're already hard," commented Pember. "You truly are a slut."

"Incubus physiology is fascinating, is it not?" said Shell.

"Please - " Vada begged, staring into the minotaur's horrible black eyes. "Please, have mercy, have mercy - "

"It does not know mercy," Shell said. "It only knows its instincts. You are an incubus. Its instinct is to take you."

The creature pushed its way back inside. Vada screamed aloud, arching his back, as the pain seared through him again -

And now he could see himself get harder and harder, even as the minotaur thrust madly and violently. Hitting his prostate so hard it was surely bruising him on the inside. Vada's head banged against the floor with each thrust. Maybe, some mad part of him hoped, he'd get knocked out, he wouldn't have to endure this any longer...

But he remained awake through the whole thing, even as his own body shook and cum spurted from his cock, splashing down his stomach, some of it getting into his mouth. Even as the minotaur came a second time, sending a thick, pinkish froth of blood and cum splashing onto the floor.

It lifted him up, wrapping its hands around his waist, and spread his legs and pushed him back down onto its cock, giving him no time to recover. Vada screamed and sobbed, but he was already getting hard again.

In the end, he was reacting on instinct as well. He was just a creature, an animal, a _demon_ like the minotaur.

His memories of Thorner had never seemed further away.

* * *

Vada lost track of how many times the minotaur fucked him. In the end, it only stopped when Shell shot it through the neck with a crossbow bolt. Shell and Pember pulled Vada away from its tumbling corpse.

Shell allowed Vada to use his personal bath. Vada sat in the water until it got cold, hugging himself, dully watching the blood spiraling around him.

After, they dressed him in a fresh uniform, and made him kneel before the Lord Superior Hierophant. Though his body was already healing, each movement sent a searing pain through his insides.

"Vada," the Lord Superior Hierophant said, his voice almost kindly, "I don't take well to defiance. Remember this."

"Yes, sir. I will always remember," Vada said to the floor.

"You will come to me every morning. You will come to your classes. You will not hide in your room and sulk no matter how much you hate a punishment. I give punishments to teach you a lesson. If you will not learn your lesson, I will only give you a harder punishment to drive the point home. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," Vada whispered, tears trickling down the end of his nose, dripping onto the floor.

"Good. You are not a spoiled child, Vada. You are the best Devotee the Centarium has seen in centuries. You are an example that others aspire to follow. You must never be anything less than perfect."

"Yes, sir. I understand now, sir."

"Then stop sniveling. You may go."

Vada walked numbly away from the Taming complex, not sure how he could ever bring himself to come back there again. It was dark, the only light coming from the globe-fish. He let himself stumble and gasp in pain, let the tears continue to fall.

_At the Cotillion, I will see Thorner_ , he thought madly, forcing one foot in front of another. _I will be with him._

When, when had the thought of Hallert Thorner become enough to give him the strength to move forward?

He didn't care. He'd accept any source of strength right now. Anything was better than standing still and thinking - remembering - the stench of the minotaur, the agony of its cock driving relentlessly into him -

A letter brushed his cheek. Dully, Vada realized it had been chasing him this entire time. He grabbed it, unfolded it, saw _To my Dear Devotee-in-Command._

Mother.

Vada tore the letter into pieces without reading it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One step forward, two steps back, that's life for Vada. 
> 
> Thanks as always for reading!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, with this chapter we're caught up to what's on my fictionpress! I'm glad the last chapter seemed to have been well received; it didn't go over quite this well on fictionpress. Well, AO3 does have a better warning system, haha.
> 
> In the meantime, here's a somewhat nicer chapter for Hal and Vada. They deserve it, after all.

The Cotillion approached, and with it, the next all-Centarium exam. Hal was rather looking forward to one more than the other.

Yes, for once, he did not dread an all-Centarium exam. He was sure he could outdo his previous score, if only for the fact that he could now activate his armor after two tries and could maintain a fire for almost five minutes.

_See, you really can do it,_ whispered Vada's voice in his mind. _Why didn't you ever apply yourself before?_

Not Vada. Hal didn't want to think about Vada. But when his thoughts turned from Vada, they landed on Rayton instead. He imagined Rayton, bright and grinning and forever thirteen. _Great job, Hal! Soon you'll be the Chosen One!_

Hal wished he could tell Rayton what he really thought. That Rayton wanted to be the Chosen One, not Hal. That it had always been Rayton's dream all along.

And Hal couldn't fulfill it.

The exam came and went. Hal could answer about three quarters of the written section questions. His armor activated after one try, shocking him, and he was able to do some basic fire attacks.

He walked out fairly certain that he was not going to be the worst in the Centarium again.

Now, there was no distraction from the Angel-damned Cotillion.

Hal hated the Cotillion. It was a big, fancy dance, and he did not do big, fancy dances. More than that, perhaps more importantly, the Cotillion was one of the few times during the year when family was invited to the Centarium.

Seeing the parents hug their children, the children lead the parents around campus, always made Hal's heart ache. He'd thought he had gotten over his parents' death. Accepted it far better than he had accepted Rayton's. But the raw wound was ripped open whenever he saw other parents and children.

But this Cotillion would be different, he reminded himself. This time, he would be coming with Vada Imilai as his date.

If Hal could go back in time and tell his self from two months ago that this was going to happen, he would not be surprised if his past self punched him.

Talk of dating became particularly thick in the air at about this time of the year, another reason why Hal could really do without the Cotillion. Cinda and Rodmont were thankfully immune from the scramble of dates and love confessions, since they had each other, but not a day passed when Hal didn't see somebody begging another person to be their date, or see students commiserate about being rejected or not having the guts to approach the object of their affections.

Sickening. Hal had always looked down at the silly teenage dating games his classmates played. They didn't know what real love was. He clutched his locket.

But it wasn't so simple for him anymore, either. Because he was dreaming of Vada nearly as often as he was dreaming of Rayton these days.

Speaking of Vada, of course half the dating talk in the Centarium revolved around him. Whispers about the girl he was going to take, girls sighing with ridiculous fantasies that he'd sweep one of them off their feet. It seemed nobody knew that Vada was going to take Hal. He must not have even told his so-called friends.

Which filled Hal with a great amount of smugness. Clearly, Mr. Perfect intended for this to be a massive surprise.

Hal wished he could do a little more for Vada; he didn't like the idea of Vada still hanging around in the same circles that his rapist ran in. By now Hal had become convinced it was Rhys, if only because Hal hated Rhys the most. But it was difficult to get more than the most occasional glimpse of Vada these days. Vada didn't go to extra lessons anymore. Whenever Hal saw Vada, he appeared to be his usual Mr. Perfect self, cold and confident while surrounded by admirers. Or else fending off girls begging him to be their date.

A last, the day of the Cotillion arrived.

Hal dressed in the suit that Cinda had Fashioned for him several years ago. It was also Fashioned to grow with him, though to Hal's discontent it didn't really stretch all that much when he changed into it this year. Oh well, he was sure he'd grow taller than Mr. Perfect eventually.

The suit was a scarlet coat with gold trim and a dark blue tie, very dapper in Hal's opinion. Normally he wore his hair loose to his shoulders, aside from his two adult braids, but for this occasion Hal tied his hair up with a dark blue ribbon. He admired himself in front of the mirror for a bit, while Pency squeaked her assessment. "If only you could dress like this all the time, Hal! You'll make all the girls sigh!"

Hal grinned and let Pency hop onto his shoulder. "You know I have to wear a uniform."

"You're still the handsomest no matter what you wear!" Pency pronounced, which made Hal plant a big kiss on the top of her head. Pency changed color from pink to red.

Then Hal stuck a frilly pale pink bow on Pency's head, another Fashioned gift from Cinda. Hal had tried to argue Pency into picking a blue or yellow bow, so it wouldn't clash with her bright pink skin so much, but Pency had insisted because pink was her favorite color. She squealed in delight, and Hal hugged her.

"You're going to be the prettiest girl there," Hal said, grinning.

"Hal!" Pency giggled. "You're making me swoon, silly!"

Hal left in high spirits, Pency on his shoulder, and met Cinda and Rodmont outside his dorm. Like always, Cinda had outdone herself Fashioning matching getups for the two of them. Cinda was in an icy blue dress with huge, billowing skirts, and she'd turned her hair into a long, snowy white flood that starkly contrasted her dark skin. When Hal came closer, he felt the temperature drop a bit, and saw that little snowflakes were dancing and spinning inside her crystal blue irises.

Rodmont wore a matching high-collared jacket, also covered with moving snowflake patterns. And while he normally hated body-modifying Fashioning, tonight it seemed he had consented to let Cinda turn his eyes from green to blue.

"She said it would match," Rodmont said when Hal asked.

Hal guffawed. "She's got you totally whipped, huh?"

As Rodmont sputtered, Cinda darted up to Hal and spun around him, examining his outfit. She clicked her tongue. "Why are you still in this old thing? I keep telling you to let me Fashion you a new one each year."

"You made it so it would grow. Come on, it's a waste besides."

They joined other students in a medusid bus. Trying to distract himself from the ground far below and the wildly blowing wind, Hal took in the colorful array of outfits his classmates were wearing. It was quite a welcome change from the black that Devotees wore most of the time.

The Cotillion was held on a different Platform each year. This year, it would be on Wansla, which currently occupied a position somewhere close to Ghestruel's waist. Wansla was for nature lovers; its entire area was covered with a forest of huge, ancient trees with gnarled, twisting trunks and spreading canopies. The Devotees lived and studied in rooms inside the trees, traveling between the trees by rickety bridges and swinging vines. Many of them spent their nights sleeping out on the branches beneath the stars.

If Hal hadn't chosen Ryger (which was Nassat's Platform, of course), he would have happily chosen Wansla.

The widest open area in Wansla was a circular clearing dotted with little pastel flowers that glowed in the darkness, ringed by trees like solid wooden walls. It really did feel like an open-air ballroom, with the moss dripping from the trees like curtains and the globe-fish like lights. With each breath, Hal drew in the sweet scent of the flowers and the freshness of cut grass.

Voices and laughter already rippled around the clearing, as did music from a well-hidden orchestra of self-playing instruments. Servants in black Centarium livery wove about, holding silver platters of canapes. Hal happily accepted a bacon-wrapped scallop and a toast topped with goat cheese and fig.

He had just shoved the latter into his mouth when he saw Vada Imilai enter the clearing. Like always, Vada was followed by his usual posse, including that asshole Rhys. Hal glared eye daggers at Rhys, then noticed that Vada had that golden-haired elf girl in his arm.

Hal's stomach swooped. No way. Had Vada forgotten that he was supposed to be Hal's date?

But then Vada turned in Hal's direction, and he murmured something to the girl, let go of her arm, and strode toward Hal. Hal's heart pounded faster.

"Uh, why is Imilai coming toward us?" asked Rodmont.

Vada only stopped when he was within two yards of Hal. It was the first time Hal had seen Vada in formal clothes, and he decided he liked the sight, though Vada had switched out his normal white cape for an even more ridiculous one covered with gold embroidery and clasped with a gold eagle in the front. But his sharply tailored black coat and wine-red cravat were well within the realm of good taste.

Pency decided to offer her assessment. "Vada, you look handsome!"

"And you are beautiful." Vada lowered into a slight bow to Pency, making her squeal. "As for you, Thorner, I'm impressed that you actually dressed for the occasion."

Cinda jumped when Vada glanced toward her. It struck Hal that this was the closest Vada had ever gotten to his two friends. Well, aside from that time he'd gotten into his first fight with Hal. But now Vada was obviously not being antagonistic, and their confusion was palpable.

Which made Hal grin wider. He held out his hand to Vada, who blinked at it as if he'd never seen a hand before, before wrapping his fingers around Hal's. Hal could _hear_ Cinda's and Rodmont's jaws drop.

And he more than heard Pency gasp. "Hal, what's going on?"

Winking, Hal pressed a finger to her tiny mouth. Then he said to Vada, "Let's go, Imilai."

"Wait, wait, wait," Rodmont sputtered, waving his hands. "Hal, you, Imilai, you two are - "

"Yeah?" Hal grinned at Rodmont over his shoulder. "Imilai's my date."

" _Waaahhhhh?"_ Pency's reaction made some heads turn. While Hal patted her, trying to calm her down, more and more people were noticing him and Vada - together. And they reacted with slack jaws much like Cinda and Rodmont.

Hal was giggling like a child on the inside. He tugged on Vada's hand, and a nonplussed Vada began walking alongside him.

Once Hal was a safe distance from his friends, and had successfully gotten Pency to stop shrieking, he said as quietly as he could manage, "Hey, are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Vada twitched. "Why do you ask?"

"You know why," Hal said, still in that low voice. More and more people were noticing as he and Vada passed, and the whispers were beginning to tail them. He wouldn't get much, if any, time to privately talk with Vada.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"You haven't - nobody's hurt you again?" Hal's throat ached as the question came out. He'd felt so helpless these past few weeks, unable to see Vada and find out how he was doing, unable to do anything to help Vada if something awful happened again.

"Hurt Vada, Hal?" Pency dropped her voice to a whisper too. "What do you mean?"

"Sorry, Pency, but could you give us a moment?" Hal said. Pency swelled indignantly. _Oh, no..._

"It's fine." Vada's fingers tightened around Hal's, digging painfully into the grooves between Hal's knuckles. "Nothing's wrong, and nothing happened. You're worrying Pency."

"You're not lying, are you?" Hal couldn't contain the anxious question.

"What are you, my nanny?"

"I just - " But that was when the golden-haired elf girl who Vada had come with came marching toward them, her green eyes glittering with fury.

Vada tensed; Hal could feel his grip convulse. Hal squeezed Vada's hand tighter and glared the girl down. Even Pency puffed out her chest and stuck out her wings, trying her best to intimidate. Bless her heart.

"Vada, what are you doing with him?" The girl could not sound more disgusted than if Vada's date had been a millipede.

Hal rather resented being thought of as lower than a millipede, so he let his opinion be known. "I'm his _date_ ," Hal said as smugly as he could manage.

"What?" The girl looked like she'd been slapped in the face.

"Yes, that's...I asked Thorner to come with me, Elairya," Vada said, a little awkward at first, but gaining confidence. "To reward him for his excellent improvement and to make up for what happened to him earlier."

He didn't need to say it, because his thin, insincere smile said it well enough. _You know, that time when you stripped him naked and beat him up!_

Elairya heaved a noisy sigh. "That doesn't mean you have to make him your date."

"'Scuse me, I'm right here." Hal waved his free hand. "No need to talk about me in the third person."

Elairya glared harder, then whirled around and flounced away. Whispers and titters fluttered about. Hal hadn't realized how many people had been watching their little confrontation. Heat crawled up his neck.

Vada sighed, all of the tension exiting his body in one breath. "I don't see why it's anyone's business other than mine who I choose to bring to the Cotillion," he said, ostensibly addressing this at Hal but loud enough for all the gawkers to hear.

"That's right," Hal said, just as loudly. "Get a life."

"Thorner," Vada groaned, and Hal shot him a cheeky grin. Which actually stirred a slight answering smile from Vada.

Vada seemed to be smiling more often these days, at least around Hal. It made Hal's heart leap. Even though he most decidedly was not in love with Mr. Perfect. He was just happy for a friend.

Then Pency hit him in the face with her wing. "Ow, Pency, what're you - "

"Hal, tell me what's going on! Why are you Vada's date? It couldn't be - " Pency's eyes rounded. "You really are in love with him!"

"Not so loud!" Hal and Vada said at the same time. They exchanged startled glances, before Vada leaned toward Pency and stroked her cheek.

"It's as I said, Pency. I wanted to reward Thorner for his improvement. He isn't bad conversation, besides."

"Okay," but Pency did not look convinced. Thankfully, at that moment her attention was snared by a passing servant with a silvery tray full of snacks.

"Hal, it's prosciutto-wrapped melon!" she squeaked, bouncing up and down on his shoulder. "Can you get me some?"

"Sure, I want some too. Come on, Imilai." Hal gave Vada's hand another tug, but that was when Vada's hand slipped away from his. "Hey, what's the big - "

But Vada wasn't looking at him. Instead, his attention was on a woman running toward them.

An elf like Elairya, with long golden hair, except hers was straight instead of wavy, and she was much shorter than Elairya. As she ran into Vada's arms, Hal saw that she probably couldn't even reach his shoulders: unusually small for an elf.

Which wasn't half as astonishing as the fact that she was embracing Vada, and he was hugging her back just as tightly.

"Oh, my dear future Chosen One!" the woman cried, her voice high and musical, if muffled since her face was buried in Vada's chest. "You've gotten so tall! Why didn't you reply to my letter? Oh, how Mother missed you!"

_Mother_. Ice water flooded Hal's insides. She was Vada's mother.

"I'm sorry, Mother, I was just so busy," Vada said as he detangled himself from his mother. He smiled down at her, a smile far more easygoing than any Hal had ever seen him, before he bent down and touched his mother's forehead with his own. Then they touched noses, and kissed each other's cheeks, exchanging the complicated traditional greeting among elven family members.

"Too busy for your mother?" Vada's mother huffed after they pulled apart. She pouted, looking rather like a little girl. Indeed, she was quite young and sweet-looking, with a delicate heart-shaped face and wide purple eyes. Aside from sharing his pointed ears, she didn't look a thing like Vada.

Even so, watching her interact with Vada made Hal feel colder and colder. He kept thinking about his own mother, how she'd sit him on her shoulders and call him, _"My little warrior..."_

"Ah, and this is my date, Hallert Thorner." Hal started when he heard his own name. Vada had gestured toward him, and now his mother's attention was fixed squarely upon Hal.

Hal swallowed, feeling awkward. He'd never anticipated meeting any of Vada's family at the Cotillion.

This was a woman who had been raped by an incubus and against all possibility managed to bear his child. Who pretended that they'd shared a fairy tale romance in order to cope. Hal wasn't sure how to begin to treat her.

Well, Pency knew. She flapped her wings and squeaked, "I'm Pency, Hal's companion beast. It's nice to meet you!"

"Yeah," Hal said quickly. "Really nice to meet you."

"Oh, my!" Vada's mother trilled. "Why can't you have such an adorable companion, Vada? Xargo is fine, but don't you think he's a tad intimidating?"

Vada coughed and blushed. "Mother, please..."

"And this young Hallert, I've never met him before. Is he a new friend, Vada?"

"Yeah, Imilai's been helping me a lot recently," Hal said. "I used to be the worst here, but now I'm doing a lot better thanks to him."

Vada's mother glanced at her son. "Oh, is this the worst student you were telling me about? I had no idea you had become such close friends!" She tittered.

_She's totally the opposite of Imilai_ , Hal marveled. How did such a flighty, chirpy woman give birth to, well, Mr. Perfect?

But she and Vada appeared quite close. Vada was holding her hands now, talking to her about his mentorship of Hal and his dueling club activities and various other boring school stuff. Then he asked her, tentatively, about a man named Roger.

His mother's face closed, but only for a moment. Soon that dazzling smile was back, and she pinched Vada's cheek. "Now, now! Tell Mother more about your duel with Rhys..."

Hal felt more and more like a third wheel. He began to sidle away, deciding to leave Vada with his mother, when Vada suddenly glanced at him. "Thorner, where are you going?"

"Yes, yes, tell me more about yourself!" chirped Vada's mother. "You're a Rusaida Clansman, aren't you, young Hallert? Did you know, I almost married a Rusaida warrior, but I certainly dodged quite a large arrow with that one. He was _such_ a braggart, never asked about me, always went on and on about all the battles he'd fought, so dreadfully dull..."

Vada's mother managed to talk off both Hal's and Vada's ears all the way up until the dancing began. At least Pency eagerly joined in, to the point where Pency hopped onto Vada's mother's shoulder. Hal scowled a bit at her betrayal.

Vada's mother only excused herself right before the dancing began, though not before making Vada promise to give the second dance to her. _And_ she swept off with Pency still bobbing on her shoulder, both of them chattering excitedly about all the cute outfits she was going to sew for Pency.

"I used to sew Vada the cutest little suits, but when he got to be around six or so he started complaining it was embarrassing, it's so sad, I always wanted a little girl to make adorable little dresses for - "

"I want bows! Lots of bows! I like bows! And lace, and frills, and I like polka dots too!"

"Eh?" Hal cast Vada a cheeky grin. "I want to see one of those cute little suits."

"No you don't," Vada said, so red that he was almost the same color as Hal's jacket. Then he grabbed Hal's hand.

As the first notes of the waltz sounded across the clearing, the full realization of what Hal was about was about to do crashed upon him. He was going to _dance_. With _Vada Imilai._

"Uh," Hal said, blushing, not sure what to say and not sure why he was so embarrassed in the first place. It was just some dancing - he'd already had sex with the guy four times. And he couldn't believe he was keeping count, of all things.

"What is it, Thorner?" Vada hissed. "You missed a step. Keep up!"

"I, I don't actually know how to dance, y'know," Hal babbled. "I never, at the Cotillion, I never dance." He just prowled about the edges, snacking on canapes.

Vada sighed. "How am I not surprised? Just follow my lead."

Sweating, Hal focused hard on Vada's feet, trying to match his movements as best as possible. It wasn't easy. Several times Hal stepped on Vada's boots, making Vada glare at him or curse. Hal felt more and more inadequate.

And that just made him more and more determined to succeed. Halfway through the dance, he finally figured out the rhythm - it wasn't too difficult. The simple, repetitive movements were like the sword forms he'd practiced for hours as a child. Well, until Vada threw him for a loop by pulling into a spin.

"Shit, fuck," Hal groaned. "No more dancing for me."

"The song's not over yet. Hold out until the end." Then Vada bent down low, his face mere inches from Hal's, and whispered, _"Virgin."_

A slight smirk tugged up his lips, and a spark shot through Hal's heart. Before he could stop himself, he grinned. It was like he and Vada were sharing a private joke in this moment, a joke born from all of their strange one-on-one encounters ever since that night in the Armor Vault.

"I'm not gonna give up yet," Hal whispered back. "Mr. Perfect."

After that, he became more aware than ever of Vada's body heat beating against his own, Vada's scent filling every inch of the air between them. It stirred his excitement, yes, but also brought to life a strange, warm and comforting feeling. Like he'd been doing this all his life. Like he trusted Vada to always know where to lead him.

It was the same feeling that Rayton had inspired in him, once. Hal's head pounded in time with the music. He missed another cue and stepped on Vada again.

Just like that, the magic ended. And with it, the dance. Regret knifed through his heart when Vada's hands slipped away from him, but that regret vanished when Hal eyed a servant with a silver tray through the crowd of twirling couples.

Hal grinned, excused himself, and made a beeline for the servant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You eat that prosciutto-wrapped melon, Hal.
> 
> Thanks as always for reading. You readers are the best!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Argh, I really need to learn to be more consistent with these updates. In my defense, I had a busy week and that included seeing my favorite all time band, Brand New, live. So yeah, not much time for updating.

Compared to that awful experience with Thorner, dancing with Mother was almost a relief. Yes, it became annoying having to answer her constant questions, but at least Vada could trust that his feet were safe. At some points it seemed like Thorner had been deliberately trying to stomp on him.

Yet at the same time, he reflected, he'd been that close to Thorner - touching Thorner - and Thorner hadn't reacted with obvious lust. He very well could have, especially when Vada had gotten down close to his face in a deliberate attempt to tease him. But he'd seen no desire in Thorner's eyes, just a teasing to match his own. Less like Thorner was overwhelmed by Vada's pheromones and more like he was playing the same game as Vada.

What a strange feeling, but Vada didn't entirely hate it.

Mother hogged the next dance, and the dance after that, as Vada expected. Some part of him was glad for it. He could forget about everything, all his worries and fears, and slip back into being her son. Somewhat embarrassed by her, yes, but basking in her love. Feeling almost...safe.

Which he knew wouldn't last. He knew he would face repercussions for taking Thorner as his date. He'd known it at the time, yet he hadn't cared. It had been more important to show gratitude to Thorner for being there for him, for helping him through his funk.

Even if the end result of it all had been the minotaur...

More things he could never tell Mother.

His encounter with Elairya had only cemented it; he was going to get punished for this. _Let it come. I don't care. Just for one night -_

Where had these rebellious thoughts come from? They frightened him, but at the same time, here in the Centarium, forced to always act as the best, the future Chosen One, it was almost relieving to have some genuine choice at something, even if it was as small and petty as a Cotillion date.

"Excuse me, my lady, but could I borrow your son for a moment?"

The rich, deep voice made Vada tense. He let go of his mother's hand. She stumbled away from, looking startled.

Gleaming in full armor, Garret Ruever strode toward the two of them, then sank into a low, chivalrous bow to Mother. Mother squealed, pressing her hands to her mouth. "Oh, my! If it isn't Garret Ruever."

"A pleasure to meet you, my lady," Garret said. "I can only regret that our meeting has to be so brief. What a cute companion you have, too."

"Oh, she's not mine," said Mother, giggling as she stroked Pency's head. Pency giggled too. They really were two birds of a feather.

But the fond smile slipped off Vada's face when Garret's eyes slid over to him. His expression was still kind, but the heat blazing in his eyes made Vada's insides twist. There, _there_ was the desire that hadn't been in Thorner's eyes.

It was time now. Time to announce his decision to Saint Garret Ruever.

"If you don't mind, my lady?" Garret asked.

"Of course, of course, I don't mind," Mother tittered, which only made Vada feel sicker. _She has no idea..._

And she never would. It was the least he could do to protect her.

"Saint Garret. I would be pleased to accompany you." Vada inclined his head to Garret. His heart was pounding.

Garret indicated, and Vada followed. They walked away from the clearing, brightly lit with globe-fish and crowded with dancing students and parents. Garret led Vada down a narrow path through the trees. A few birds fluttered away, singing gentle night songs. As the music and laughter from the clearing died away, Vada's heart pounded ever louder.

Garret stopped at the base of a huge tree towering up to the heavens. A rope ladder descended from the tree, and he climbed it with surprising ease given his armor. Then again, Vada knew that a personalized armor set felt as light as air to its rightful wearer. He followed Garret, feeling much more vulnerable in his formal clothes.

The ladder ended on a branch so thick and wide that it didn't even sway beneath their combined weight. Vada followed Garret down the branch, toward the door recessed into the trunk of the tree. With a swing of his hand, Garret opened the door, and they entered the dark chamber within.

It was a simple abandoned room, the only furniture a work bench in the corner. Vada went to the bench and sat down, expecting that he'd soon be fucked upon it.

How brief his dance with Thorner had been.

"So." Garret swung to face Vada, his dark eyes intense. "Imilai, have you come to your decision?"

"Yes, Saint Garret."

"Well, what is it?" Garret leaned forward, hunger evident in every line of his face. A sudden burst of fear stabbed Vada, but he forced it down. He was the top Devotee at the Centarium, the future Chosen One. He wasn't under this man's thrall. Not completely.

Vada drew in a deep breath, then forced the words out. They seemed to hang in the air.

"I must apologize, but I respectfully decline."

Garret drew in a sharp breath. Vada tensed.

"It...it was a very generous offer, Saint Garret," Vada said. "However, I believe in my current state, I am unworthy of joining the Ignis Saints. I am still not fully trained. I still haven't learned everything I need to learn as a Devotee of Ghestruel."

"Is that so? Even though you're the top Devotee?"

"I still have many things to learn," Vada said, even managing a faint smile.

Garret's voice was rough. "From the Lord Superior Hierophant?"

Vada cringed, feeling like he'd been slapped. He knew exactly what Garret meant, and it made him sick to the stomach. "No, not like that..."

"Come here." Garret reached for Vada. Instinctively Vada ducked out of the way, but not fast enough. Garret's grip closed around Vada's wrist. He yanked Vada closer.

"Wait, wait, Saint Garret," Vada cried as Garret pressed him up to his chest. "Please, you must understand, it's not because I d-don't love you - "

"If you love me," Garret said, eyes roiling with fire, "you will go anywhere with me."

"I'm too young, I'm too inexperienced." Vada's voice cracked.

"You mean you like those old perverts altogether too much. I should have known you were lying when you said you loved me, little _whore_." Garret's hand pressed against Vada's back, painfully hard. Vada gulped, realizing he was now trapped against Garret.

He'd felt brave at the time, but now all that bravery had long fled. He was outmatched, completely, entirely.

He was a fool. Overestimating Garret's kindness, underestimating the depths of the man's obsession with him.

Garret yanked a fistful of Vada's hair, forcing Vada's head up. Vada gasped, tried to tug away, but too late, Garret pressed his mouth to Vada's.

Vada gasped into Garret's mouth, feeling Garret's lips crush his, Garret's tongue rub his obscenely. His head spun. Garret's flavor was flooding him, not roast pork this time, but something bitter like ash and sharp like lightning...

Ash and lightning? No, that didn't seem right. Even as he pushed against Garret, returning Garret's kiss, he reached out and seized a stray lock of Garret's hair. And tugged.

The hair came sliding down, spilling over Garret's shoulders. Garret abruptly yanked out of the kiss, pushed Vada back.

No, not Garret, but Thelm Ruever.

Panting, heart pounding, Vada stared at Thelm. The wig had fallen to the floor, revealing Thelm's shorter, shaved-sides style. He glanced at the wig, then at Vada, and smirked.

"How was I? Did I convince you, if even for a moment?"

Vada didn't want to admit that he had. He began to back away, but his hips pressed against the work bench. He was trapped.

"So it's true," Thelm said. "You did tell my brother you loved him. And he did offer for you to join the Ignis Saints. Alongside him, obviously."

"Saint Thelm," Vada managed to say through the constriction in his chest. "Where is Saint Garret?"

"He didn't come tonight. He's indisposed."

Vada's hands clenched into fists, nails biting into his palms. He'd come up with a plan for how to deal with Garret, how to appease Garret. But he'd never anticipated running into Thelm tonight instead. His stomach clenched. What could he do? Garret, for all of his possessiveness, was at least predictable in some ways. He could be persuaded to show mercy. But Thelm -

Vada remembered the electric heat spreading from Thelm's cock inside him, setting his body on fire, and his heart beat faster.

"My stupid, brainless, sentimental fool of a brother." Snorting, Thelm shook his head. "He fell in _love_ with you. Without realizing that you're nothing but a cum-slut of an incubus whore. That's the way he always is. Sticks his head in the sand. Would rather live in his fantasies of pure love. But love - I know that's impossible for an incubus. I'm not like Garret. I won't spew lies about being in love with you, Imilai. I just want one thing."

"No," Vada managed to force out. "No, I don't want - "

"Do you think I give two shits what you want?" The glower Thelm fixed Vada with pierced Vada in the heart. "Imilai, you whore, you deceived my precious little brother. I won't let you get away with this."

"You care about him?" The question burst out before Vada could stop himself.

A smirk tightened Thelm's face. "What, just because I don't give a shit about an incubus means I shouldn't give a shit about my family? Wrong, whore. Garret is a moron, but he's all I have. If I need to save him from you, then I'll happily do so."

"Please, Saint Thelm," Vada said, leaning further back even though he knew he had nowhere to escape to, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to - "

"Little incubus cum-slut, I find it hard to believe you 'didn't mean to' feed my brother lies about you loving him."

Vada truly had no defense against this man. He'd said it as a whim, a joke, even. For his own amusement. His stomach turned. In that moment, he really had been acting like an incubus. Using his sexuality to manipulate somebody else just because it was fun.

He'd been wrong, completely wrong. Let his baser instincts take control. He needed - needed to do penance to Ghestruel.

But first, he needed to do his penance to Thelm Ruever.

"Please," he began, not knowing how he was going to end that sentence. All he knew was that he had to beg, because it was his only chance at this point.

"Don't worry, whore. I'll give you what you want. What you _deserve_." Garret snapped his fingers.

And chains burst from his armor, shooting for Vada like striking snakes. Vada lurched back, but too late. The chains wrapped around his arms, crushed them behind his back. Then around his chest and legs, lifting him into the air...

"No," Vada gasped as he was suspended, rocking back and forth in the chains' grasp. "No, please, I'm sorry - "

Thelm flashed a hand gesture, and fire seared through the chains. Burning Vada's skin. He screamed aloud, throwing his head back.

"These chains are made of holy metal. They react to any demonic presence. They're very useful for subduing demons, as you can imagine. A standard part of an Ignis Saint's kit."

"Stop, please," Vada choked out through the pain. He writhed and thrashed, but the chains only tightened, cutting into his skin, burning even hotter.

Thelm strode toward him, slow and lazy. He tore open Vada's jacket, then his vest and shirt. Yanked out Vada's cravat and shoved it into Vada's mouth. Vada gagged on the silk, trying to spit it out, but Thelm crammed it in deeper.

"Little demon, dressed up all fancy. But that doesn't change what you are." Thelm brushed a hand across Vada's bare chest, leaving fiery tingles in its wake. Vada couldn't help himself; he moaned into the handkerchief.

A hard slap knocked his head to the side. "Slut. Getting turned on just from _this_?" The hand paused, then tugged on a nipple, drawing forth another moan. 'That's all you are in the end, Vada Imilai. You may have an elf's name, but you are an incubus to the core."

Through the gag, Vada couldn't speak. But he could still shake his head, tears burning in his eyes.

Thelm laughed, harsh and humorless. "Trying to deny it? Look at how excited you are already." He lifted his boot and drove it into Vada's crotch, massaging Vada's growing erection with his heel. Tears rolled down Vada's cheeks as he grew harder and harder, stoking the fire of pleasure blazing in his stomach.

"No matter what I do to you, you'll cum. You'll feed on my sexual energy, because that's what you exist to do. The only thing on your mind is when you can get your next fuck."

Vada shook his head even harder. Until Thelm grabbed his hair and tugged, forcing him to stare into Thelm's blazing eyes.

"Still trying to deny it, whore? I'll show you. By the end of this night, I'll show you. And I'll take some nice pictures and video and send them to Garret. Might shock him out of his infatuation with you."

"Nnh," Vada said through the gag, writhing, struggling against the chains. "Nhh, _nhh!"_

"No?" Thelm patted Vada's cheek, then slapped him again, so hard his lip split. "Don't lie. _You want it._ You want everyone to know what a slut you are, how much you crave sex and cum and cocks. You spend your days pretending to be a perfect elf - _future Chosen One_ \- but in reality, it's a struggle against your very nature."

He moved behind Vada, ripped down his pants in one ferocious motion, then shoved three fingers into Vada's ass, massaging his already wet and slick insides. Vada sobbed into the gag.

"I know incubi, Imilai. No matter how clever they may fancy themselves, in the end, defeating them is just a simple matter of fucking them until they can't get up anymore. They'll do anything, _anything_ for sex. And you're just like them."

He almost had his whole hand inside. Vada whimpered, writhed, tried to pull away from Thelm's roving hand - no, he was pushing back, trying to take in more of Thelm, wanting more of the dull throbbing pleasure as Thelm spread his fingers and brushed, stroked, groped and pinched every inch of his pulsing insides.

"So hard. _Slut."_ His other hand squeezed Vada's cock, making it jump. Thelm's hands were so _hot_...it was driving Vada insane...

"I would never let you join the Ignis Saints. We have to trust each other with our lives, that's what it means to fight together with comrades. I would never trust an incubus. You've already proven yourself a deceitful liar."

Vada shook his head again, even though Thelm was right, completely right, and he was thrusting his whole hand inside, his fingertips brushing Vada's prostate, and it was making Vada choke and sputter into the gag.

"The only way I'd accept you is like this." The hand balled into a fist, spreading his insides wider than ever, making Vada groan. "As our _toy."_

A few sharp jerks of his fist inside, then he pulled out, slowly, torturously slowly. Vada was so hard now, his cock pressed flat to his stomach. He jerked against the chains, revolving slow circles.

_Please, please, somebody help me, somebody make this nightmare end..._

"Don't cum yet, whore." Thelm squeezed his cock again, making Vada blubber. "How about this..." He pulled something over Vada's cock, snapping leather bands in place. They dug tightly into the tender, overheated skin, making Vada groan and keen - especially when Thelm started wrapping the restraints of the device around his balls.

_"Nhh! Nngh!_ " Vada arched his back and kicked, trying madly to escape. The pain, the pressure, the _pleasure_ \- it was all far too much.

Thelm drew the last strap taut, then smirked and rubbed the slit of Vada's cock. "Don't worry, if you're a good boy I might let you cum. _Might."_

Then he stepped back, his face ghoulish in the darkness. "By the end of this night, you _will_ be begging for it. No matter what I do to you. I'll prove it to you once and for all. You're nothing but an incubus, and I fight and slay incubi all the time, Vada Imilai. It's part of my job."

He pulled something from a thigh holster. A dagger, the blade inlaid with gold. With a flick of his wrist, the metal of the dagger turned flaming red. Thelm lifted it to his face, the ghastly light highlighting the strong planes of his cheekbones.

Dread coiled in Vada's chest like a snake - yet, damn him, his cock hardened even more inside the restraint. He shook his head, mad, desperate, trying to persuade Thelm the only way he could to show mercy...

"Your elf blood means you heal quickly," Thelm purred, "but I have the feeling that this just might leave a few scars."

Harder and harder Vada shook his head. But that didn't stop Thelm from moving closer. The blade glowed, livid red in the darkness...

_Help me! Somebody, anybody, please help me, please!_

_O Great Ghestruel -_

Like always when he addressed Ghestruel, nothing. The tears came harder and faster. Ghestruel would never shed Their light upon Vada, Their Infinite Mercy and Kindness. Why would They? Vada was Their enemy. A demon, an incubus.

Thelm was right. He'd never deserved anything from Ghestruel.

This was his penance.

Smirking, Thelm pressed the blade beneath Vada's right pectoral. Vada screamed into the gag, his entire body tensing, as the sharp edge easily sank into the delicate skin, as the fire blazed through him. Smoke curled up from the blade. The pain hazed the edges of his vision. He sputtered and whimpered, soaking the gag with saliva, and he couldn't move away because of the damn chains and he was watching his own blood spill across his chest, even redder than the blade...

And the restraints squeezed his cock painfully. He sobbed. He really was - he really was getting hard from this.

A sharp jerk of the knife - the pain made Vada wail - and Thelm yanked it away. He was sneering. "See? Look. Even that made you hard. Anything, _anything_ will turn you on. It's what your body was built for."

Vada couldn't speak. He sobbed into the gag, and with each frantic beat of his heart the pain throbbed deeper. And Thelm was returning, the blade hovering close to his chest again no matter how far he tried to lift himself away...

_Anything, anything, I'll do ANYTHING -_

Fire seared through the room, a burst of heat and light aimed straight at Thelm's head.

Thelm whirled. Lifted his arm, blocked the fire with an invisible shield of miraculous energy.

But that didn't stop Hallert Thorner from charging inside, swinging a knife he must have gotten from a place setting, his face a mask of fury.

Vada blinked. _Thorner_. He must be really far gone, to imagine that Thorner had come here to rescue him...

Thorner bounced off the miraculous shield, hitting the floor heavily. Cursing, he jumped back to his feet, rounded on Thelm again.

Thelm lifted his hand and lightning crackled through the room, filling the air with the sharp smell of ozone. The lightning arced toward Thorner.

When it struck, Vada realized that this wasn't a dream.

Thorner's scream echoed in his bones, drowning out his own pain. He could only dangle in place, watching helplessly as Thorner thrashed and writhed in midair, caught by the dancing lightning. In the brilliant flashes, Thelm's ghastly grin was more than clear.

This man - why had Vada _ever_ admired this man? He was a sadist, a bully, and now he was tormenting someone nearly helpless beneath his wrath.

But Vada wasn't helpless.

Even injured, bound, his cock hard inside the restraints, he was more than just some slut of an incubus. He was the greatest Devotee the Centarium had seen in centuries. So what if he didn't have Ghestruel's blessing.

He had his own talent and skill, and those were genuine enough.

Vada drew in a deep breath, centering himself, then reached for the miraculous energy of Ghestruel. He wasn't here in this nightmarish workroom anymore, wasn't listening to Thorner's screams and wasn't feeling the pulsing agony in his chest. He was rising higher and higher, away into the sky, into the charged energy that existed inside each and every cloud...

His own lightning burst from him, shooting from his entire body since he couldn't channel it through his hands. But using his mind, he focused it on the areas where the chains were pressing down. The lightning sliced through the chains. Vada tumbled, hitting the floor heavily.

But he was quickly on his feet, and now he had his hands. With one hand he tore the gag from his mouth, and with the other he commanded the lightning, called it away from Thorner and toward him.

Thelm rounded on him, fury roiling in his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"What," Vada snarled, "I should have done all along."

He shot the lightning at Thelm.

Thelm countered with an invisible shield, but the lightning tore through it. Thelm flung out his own hands, trying to command the crackling, hungry tongues of white-hot energy, but Vada poured more and more of his force into it, his fury, his willpower.

He couldn't stop the Lord Superior Hierophant or Pember or Shell or Rhys or any of the other men from hurting him, but Thelm had overstepped his bounds. Vada could easily stop him.

The lighting struck Thelm in a single powerful blow, knocking Thelm off his feet, sending him careening into the wall. Thrashing like a pinned insect, Thelm writhed against the wall. Vada kept pumping the lightning into him, until the hairs on his own skin were all standing up, until his teeth began to hurt from the force of gritting them.

If even a little bit, he wanted to pay back some of the pain that Thelm had dealt him, had dealt _Thorner_...

"Imilai." Thorner's faint croak pierced the numb haze surrounding Vada's mind. "Imilai, wait."

What - what was he doing?

Wanting revenge? That was wrong. A _demonic_ impulse. He was a Devotee of Ghestruel. He had to act the part.

Vada stilled the lightning.

Silence fell upon the room, heavy and still after the sizzling and crackling that had raged earlier. The darkness was even heavier, more complete. Thelm crumpled on his side, breathing hard. Vada was shaking from head to toe. He felt that he might faint if he took another step.

So he fell to his knees. Instantly, Thorner was by his side.

"Imilai, are you all right?"

"I," Vada whispered, "should be asking that of you."

Thorner's hair was standing on end, and his eyes looked unfocused, and his clothes were covered with singe marks. But he didn't seem to care. "Damn him, that bastard," Thorner burst out, glaring at Thelm. "How _dare_ he - "

"It's okay," Vada said dully. "I'm fine."

As he sank down further, his cock bounced. Horror pounding in his chest, he realized he was still wearing that restraint. "D-don't look," he spat at Thorner, before he reached clumsy, fumbling fingers down to his cock and undid the first strap. He bit down a sob of pleasure as his fingertips brushed his slick, rock-hard penis.

"I'll go get a teacher," Thorner said. "I think I saw Hierophant Shell nearby."

Vada's first instinct was to snap no, but he swallowed it down. If - if Shell saw him like this, with the unmistakable proof of Thelm's unsanctioned violation attempt on him, he'd have the power to make it to stop. To ban Thelm from ever seeing Vada again.

_Isn't that thinking like an incubus?_ whispered a dark voice in Vada's mind that sounded like Thelm. Vada squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't know any other way to keep Thelm from hurting him again.

By the time he undid the last restraint, he couldn't take it anymore; with a strangled gasp, he came into his hand. Tears seared down his cheeks. Thelm was right. He really was just a slut in the end.

The door opened, and Vada realized that Thorner had left him. And now Thorner was back with Hierophant Shell in tow.

The huge Hierophant turned his eyes from the fallen Thelm and upon Vada. Vada trembled, wrapping his arms tighter around himself, hoping with all his heart that Shell would put the pieces together the correct way. That he wouldn't assume that somehow Vada was the instigator and punish him for this.

"I told you, that asshole Thelm," Thorner fumed. "He did this to Imilai."

"I can see," Shell said, slow and measured. "Thank you, Thorner. You've done the Centarium a great service. I will call security to remove Saint Thelm. Imilai, if you would come with me?"

Vada nodded. He pulled up his pants, wrapped his ruined shirt and jacket as tight around himself as possible. Then he stood up, though his legs still shook. Thorner twitched as if he wanted to run up and support Vada, but to Vada's relief he didn't actually do so. Vada stumbled up to Shell.

Shell gazed down at him, his pale gray eyes troubled, and Vada's stomach flipped. If the Hierophants ultimately ended up blaming him for it...

But then Shell's attention landed upon the cut on his chest, still stinging and throbbing.

"Rest assured, Imilai," Shell rumbled, "he will pay for this."

For now, that was all Vada needed to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vada being a badass is always fun to write.
> 
> Thanks as always for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, yeah, it's been an eternity and a half since I updated. I don't really have an excuse, except that I lost my fire for the story, even though I had already written 100% of it. I intended to write a bunch of epilogue chapters, but I stalled on them and never got my fire back, and I just sorta quietly put Mr. Perfect and the Virgin on the backburner.
> 
> I know it's completely unfair to leave readers hanging on a story that's already finished, so I'm going to upload all of the remaining chapters right here and now. However, I won't be replying to comments anymore. Sorry, I just don't have the energy to really talk about a story I no longer have much passion for. I hope you understand and enjoy the rest of the story.

Hal and Vada were discharged from the infirmary on the same day. A two-person medusid transport brought them to the Left Eye of Ghestruel.

They didn't speak during the journey. Not about any inane topics, and certainly not about what had happened that night. What Hal had witnessed.

Vada suspended by chains, half naked, his cock encased by a cage of straps. Being tortured by Saint Thelm Ruever.

Oh, thank everything Hal had decided to follow Vada. It was Pency's idea; she'd come zipping back to him, a-flutter with worry about Vada, saying something about how she didn't like the look on Vada's face as he followed Garret Ruever.

So Hal had sneaked after them, and after a while figured out how to open the miracled-shut door, just in time to see that it wasn't Garret but Thelm, and that he was - he was - to Vada -

That was another person who had hurt Vada. _Why?_

Hal sensed Vada would never tell him. He was even paler than usual, and his golden eyes were distant.

Only when they got off the medusid did Vada turn toward Hal and say in a whisper barely louder than a breath, "Thank you. It was brave of you, standing up to him."

"I - " Hal swallowed, then answered in a whisper of his own. "I couldn't just do nothing. And you were amazing too."

Vada's eyes widened a little. Then he turned away and marched forward, cape flapping behind him.

Hal swept his eyes around, taking in the Lord Superior Hierophant's office, a place he'd never been in before. It was just as cushy as he expected, with a luxurious carpet and light-emitting crystals on the walls. The Lord Superior Hierophant himself waited behind a curved chestnut desk, and behind him stood all fifteen of the Grand Hierophants in service at the Centarium.

Vada instantly fell to his knees before them. Hal fumbled to go down as well. He ended up accidentally putting one knee on the edge of Vada's cape, earning him a furtive glare from Vada. Hal managed a helpless grin in response.

"Lord Superior Hierophant, Grand Hierophants," Vada intoned. "Devotee-in-Command Vada Imilai and Devotee Hallert Thorner reporting."

"Stand," said the Lord Superior Hierophant.

Hal hastened to do so. Vada tugged hard on his cape to straighten it as he stood.

"Devotee Imilai. Devotee Thorner," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "How are you two doing?"

"We are well, Lord Superior Hierophant," Vada said, stiff and formal.

"That's a relief." The lines in the Lord Superior Hierophant's face cut deeper. "Rest assured, Thelm Ruever will be punished for his actions. He has been sent before the Tribunal of Hierophants to answer for his crimes, and it is expected they will strip him of his title, armor, weapon, and companion beast."

Vada bowed his head, sighing in relief. "Understood, sir."

Hal squirmed a bit, feeling uncomfortable with all the achingly formal pressure in the room. This Lord Superior Hierophant, all cold authority, was nothing like the kindly old man who Hal had met. He wondered if the Lord Superior Hierophant, or any of these Grand Hierophants, knew that Vada was an incubus. Knew that Thelm had been trying to sexually assault Vada.

Did Thelm know Vada was an incubus? Was that why he'd tried to rape Vada?

"Ignis Saint or not, nobody attacks a Devotee under my watch," thundered the Lord Superior Hierophant. "Thelm Ruever _will_ receive his due. But that is not the only reason I called you two here."

He gestured, and Hierophants Shell and Pember stepped forward bearing small black boxes.

"I wished to reward you for your service to the Centarium, both of you," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, and the lines of his face relaxed a little, making Hal breathe easier. "Vada Imilai, you acquitted yourself well. You have truly cemented your position as the strongest Devotee in centuries by defeating the leader of the Ignis Saints. I truly don't know what the Centarium has left to teach you."

"Thank you, Lord Superior Hierophant." Vada bowed from the waist, sweeping out his cape. "But I still wish to say. I still have so much to learn."

"Humble as always, hmm?" chuckled the Lord Superior Hierophant. Then he turned toward Hal.

Hal gulped, shooting to stiff attention. Suddenly he wished he'd worn his dress uniform for this.

"Devotee Hallert Thorner," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "I must admit, I'm the most shocked and amazed by your wonderful performance. From a Devotee who scored the lowest in history to one who would abandon his own fun at the Cotillion in order to save a friend, to fight an enemy even knowing you were outmatched - you are a true representative of Ghestruel's Will."

Hal couldn't speak. His chest was too tight. All his years at the Centarium he'd quietly skated by, never feeling like he'd belonged, and certainly never feeling that the Angel gave a shit about him. Now, now hearing from one of the Angel's highest earthly representatives that he embodied Ghestruel's own _Will..._

 _Well done, Hal,_ whispered Rayton's voice across the years. Tears pricked Hal's eyes.

"Devotee Thorner?" The Lord Superior Hierophant leaned forward a little. "Are you all right?"

"Sorry," Hal sniffed as he rubbed his eyes. "I just - that's just - I'm overwhelmed, that's all."

"Of course," said the Lord Superior Hierophant wryly. "My boy, I have the feeling that even you don't know what a great service you have performed. Shell, Pember."

Shell and Pember opened the boxes. The Lord Superior Hierophant removed their contents, one in each hand, and held them out to Hal and Vada.

Hal took his, surveying it carefully. It was a little glass sphere surrounded by frame of twisted silver designs, dangling from a string. A thick golden liquid swirled slowly about inside the sphere, and Hal saw a little stopper on the end.

Vada's was similar, except the liquid inside his was thinner and pale lavender.

"These are potions of courage and devotion, created by some of the finest Fashioners in Ghestruel's service," pronounced the Lord Superior Hierophant. "Accept them as a token of my deepest appreciation for your heroic actions."

Hal instantly sank into a bow, Vada following. "Thank you, Lord Superior Hierophant," they intoned together.

When they rose, the Lord Superior Hierophant was smiling. "Please continue to serve the Centarium with everything you have, boys. And continue being each other's friends."

Hal and Vada glanced at each other, equally startled.

The Lord Superior Hierophant chuckled. "You really have become good friends. Saving each other the way you both did, that's nothing if not the testament to a wonderful friendship. Yes, I think the two of you have been good to each other."

 _Friends._ Hal swallowed. Yes, he'd said he and Vada were friends, but it felt so different with the Lord Superior Hierophant bloviating about friendship in front of him. He just couldn't stop blushing.

"Now, you may go, Devotee Thorner," said the Lord Superior Hierophant with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"Uh, not Imilai?" Hal blurted.

Vada started. The Lord Superior Hierophant's smile became indulgent.

"Devotee Imilai and I have some further business to discuss."

Right, important business. Because Vada was a Devotee-in-Command and the future Chosen One. Even if Hal had done something heroic enough to be rewarded for it, he still wasn't _that_ important to the Lord Superior Hierophant.

So Hal nodded, sketched a hasty bow, and trotted back to the medusid - but not before casting Vada one last glance. He frowned a little, but Vada lifted his eyebrows, and Hal quickly turned and ran the rest of the distance out of the office.

He was still worried for Vada, but now the first stirrings of elation began to rise inside him. He gripped the sphere tight, the silver digging into his palm.

He'd never felt closer to his - to _Rayton's_ \- dream than today.

* * *

After all the Grand Hierophants except for Shell and Pember left, Vada sank back to his knees and stared down at the carpet.

"Lord Superior Hierophant," he whispered, trembling all over, "am I in trouble?"

Yes, the Lord Superior Hierophant had rewarded him, but it was just a show mainly for Thorner's benefit. Now the true judgment would begin. Because no matter what, in the end Vada had attacked an Ignis Saint.

Besides, the Lord Superior Hierophant was always hunting for an excuse to punish Vada for _something._

"Lift your head, boy." To Vada's surprise, the Lord Superior Hierophant's voice was kindly. Heart hammering, Vada forced himself to obey.

Sighing, the Lord Superior Hierophant moved in front of the desk, then closed the distance between the two of them. Vada sank his fingers into the carpet, determined not to move, not to shrink back.

The Lord Superior Hierophant sank to a crouch before Vada, then gently took Vada's chin in his hands. Vada tried not to flinch at the sensation of his papery skin. He met the Lord Superior Hierophant's shining blue eyes, even though it made his pulse pound faster.

"You're not in trouble, my dear boy," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, his voice still gentle. "I meant what I said. You were very brave."

"He marked you," rumbled Shell. "Without our permission, he attempted to take you. And he left a mark on your body."

"What he did," Pember said, "was unforgivable."

"Dear Vada, I should never have tried to give you up to the Ignis Saints," sighed the Lord Superior Hierophant. "I understand now. You belong here with us."

His hand moved down to Vada's. He twined their fingers together, reminding Vada of all the times he'd held Thorner's hand, and it made Vada's chest tighten. Numbly, he allowed the Lord Superior Hierophant to draw him to his feet.

"Today we're rewarding you, darling," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "For your excellent service to Ghestruel."

"I - I - " Vada began, not sure what to think.

"We are curious about Thorner, however," said Pember. "He certainly went out of his way to help you."

"And you asked him to the Cotillion," added Shell.

Vada trembled. So that was what this was about. He'd expected consequences for bringing Thorner to the Cotillion. But he'd intended to tell these men that he was just playing around, doing it for the fun of it. It would amuse them, make them think him even more of a mindless incubus.

But then Thorner had gone and gotten hurt for Vada's sake. Had attempted to _rescue_ Vada...

Vada swallowed hard. How could he explain _that_ away? He wasn't even sure how to explain it himself. Except that it wasn't the first time Thorner had gone out of his way for him. There had been that time earlier, when Thorner had stayed with him in his room, slowly helping to bring him to life.

 _I'm in love with you,_ whispered Thorner's voice in Vada's mind. No. Ridiculous. Thorner just wanted to fuck Vada, just like Garret Ruever.

But Vada had the sense that Garret Ruever wouldn't have done half of what Thorner had done.

Was this what real friendship was like?

"I didn't know," Vada said, deciding that revealing at least part of the truth wouldn't hurt. "I didn't know that he'd do that."

"Perhaps he's attracted to you as well?" mused the Lord Superior Hierophant, making Vada's stomach flip.

"We might invite him," said Pember. "What do you think, Lord Superior Hierophant?"

Not Vada, of course not. His opinion didn't mean a thing to these men.

But no - no, somehow, he had to make it so that they wouldn't invite Thorner, would never even _consider_ it. Because - because Thorner was special, different. Not because Vada loved him, but because sex with him had nothing to do with these morning sessions. It was...free.

If Thorner got involved, Vada would never be able to even _look_ at him again.

Worse, he knew Thorner would change his tune. Right now he was being almost alarmingly generous, wanting to make sure Vada enjoyed it and wanted it too. Almost to the point of annoyance, honestly. But once Thorner sampled him with the Lord Superior Hierophant's encouragement, all of his pesky little ethics would fall by the wayside. He'd understand what Vada really was and allow himself to give in to his lust.

And they'd lose whatever it was that they shared now. Not love, but more than friendship. It was like...like equality. Like they were in this together, exploring their bodies together, instead of the one-sided brutalizing Vada was used to.

He swallowed back a sob, shocked by the sudden stinging in his eyes.

"I," he began, not sure how he could begin to convince these men. He had no power over them and he knew it. If they wanted Thorner to participate, then Thorner would participate. It was that simple. "I, please..."

"Now, now," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "For now, just the three of us is enough, isn't it?"

Vada had never been more grateful to the man in his life.

"Thorner still has to work to deserve you," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, trailing his fingertips across the front of Vada's jacket. Vada's breath hitched. "I'm still not satisfied with him. He may have tried to save you, but he failed in the end. And his grades are still nowhere near exceptional."

Vada struggled to hold back his relieved sigh. Instead, he got into the act, slowly unbuttoning his jacket, opening his shirt, shedding them while smiling a teasing, mysterious smile aimed at the Lord Superior Hierophant alone.

"When he is ready, that potion will prove helpful," Shell said, startling Vada.

"The potion, sir?" he breathed, gasping as the Lord Superior Hierophant leaned forward and rubbed his nipples. The Lord Superior Hierophant was being a lot more handsy than he usually was. Vada wasn't sure if he liked it or not. The sensation of the dry, papery skin rubbing the tender, sensitive buds made him shiver, but it also sent heat jumping through his cock.

"It makes a man far more potent than normal," said Pember, snickering. "As for the one you have..."

He reached for Vada and unclasped the necklace from around Vada's neck. Before Vada could protest - not that he had any right to - he unstoppered the potion, dipped his finger in, and smeared some of it in a line on Vada's chest, directly below the scar that Thelm Ruever had left behind.

For while Vada had healed well, Thelm's heated knife had indeed made a mark that refused to go away. It was a thin, pale line now, barely visible against Vada's skin. But still there, still slightly raised and tender to the touch. Pember brushed his fingertips across it now, making Vada gasp.

Pember's eyes flashed. "That foolish child Thelm..."

"He has received his due," said the Lord Superior Hierophant calmly. He brushed his finger through some of the liquid on Vada's skin, making Vada shudder. The liquid was cool and smooth, and where it touched it left behind tingles that sank through Vada's skin, traveled through his nerves all the way down to his cock, which hardened. His markings grew darker and darker.

"It's a potion to increase an incubus or succubus' responses," said Pember, smiling at Vada. "I brewed it especially for you, dear Vada."

As he spoke, Shell knelt behind Vada. Vada tried not to tense as Shell put his hands around the waistband of his pants, then pulled down, exposing him. Vada gasped, squeezing his eyes shut, as the cool air of the office brushed his ass and cock.

"So hard already?" Shell said, low and teasing. "Hand it over."

Shell passed the potion to Pember. The Lord Superior Hierophant was still kneeling in front, rubbing and pinching Vada's nipples; they were now so stiff they hurt. But the pleasure was building in Vada's stomach, making him whine and moan, and when Shell probed between his legs Vada opened his thighs, exposing his quivering asshole.

Shell pushed cool, slick fingers inside. _The potion._

It set Vada's insides on fire, and not in the same way as Thelm's touch had. This was a slow-building, pulsing heat, a _liquid_ heat, that sank through his skin and muscles and nerves until every single inch of his flesh and blood and bone felt exquisitely, shiveringly awake. Even the air brushing his open asshole made him squirm. It was like soft, invisible fingers.

"Feels good?" rumbled Shell.

His hand slipped lower, closing around Vada's cock, and Vada cried out aloud as his cock jumped to life. This was more sensitive than he ever thought he could be, the tender skin igniting beneath each squeeze and rub of Shell's fingers. Shell reached the head of his cock, rubbing with circular motions, and each circuit he completed made Vada gasp and moan ever louder.

"Mm, more, more," he found himself groaning, saliva dripping from his lips. "More, please, give me more."

"Little whore," Pember said, and for a horrified flash Vada remembered everything that Thelm had said to him - but it all vanished when Shell slid another finger inside, also coated in the potion, so cool against his heated insides it made Vada sigh.

Then Pember's cock poked Vada's lips, and he leaned forward, eagerly sucking it in. It must have been coated in the potion too, for the tingling heat spread through Vada's lips and tongue and palate, until he could feel every part of his mouth like he never had before, and feel Pember's cock sliding over his tongue, gliding so slickly it made his cock jump higher.

Too much, it was too much. His body went taut, and he came. His cum gushed and gushed all over Shell's hand, so much of it, and it wouldn't stop coming. The harder he came, the more the heat inside him spread, flooding his insides in liquid waves until he felt like his entire body was melting.

"M-melting, melting," he groaned aloud as Pember's cock slid out of his mouth. "I"m melting."

"My, that was quick," observed Shell as he continued rubbing his fingers inside Vada's ass. "This potion is certainly something."

"There's only more where it came from." Pember gave Vada a little push, and Vada rolled over. Spread his legs wide open, moaning as he exposed his dripping-wet hole. He pushed his legs up, lifted his hips.

"In, in, fuck me," he groaned, tossing his head back. "Fuck me, please. I want it, I want more."

"Amazing indeed." Shell crouched down between Vada's thighs, then brushed two trails of liquid across the quivering pale skin. So close to his balls and ass, yet so far. It made Vada squirm. The heat, the heat, the heat was driving him insane. When had he _ever_ felt this good?

"Please, please, please, more, more, more, mor _aaaauuugh,"_ as Shell pushed his way inside. Vada opened up easily around him, accepting his thick, throbbing length, and it rubbed against every inch of his insides in a way that spread more pulsing, melting waves of heat through Vada's body. Vada arched his back, bucked against Shell's cock, pushing his prostate down against the head. Shell's cock must be coated in the potion, for that cool, tingling feeling shot through his prostate, that most tender, sensitive part of his body.

He wailed as he came again, gushing cum all over his thighs and stomach. Some of it landed in his mouth. His insides tightened, squeezing Shell's cock, and that just excited him further. Even as he came, he was growing hard again.

"Impressive," Pember whistled. "I've never seen such a sight."

"You are amazing, Vada," Shell said, gripping Vada's hips tight.

"Mm, ohh, ahh," Vada gasped as he ground down against Shell, desperately trying to prolong his orgasm. "Wanna, wanna, want more - "

"And we'll happily give it to you. Dear Vada. Anything you wish," murmured Pember, sinking down beside Vada's face. His cock probed Vada's cheek. Vada turned his head, eagerly took Pember's cock into his mouth, taking in its slick, solid weight and its hot flavor. His head spun and spun.

So he almost missed the next thing the Lord Superior Hierophant said, drifting toward him as if rising out of a dream.

"What a wonderful debut for Saint Vada Imilai."

* * *

The news buzzed around the entire campus.

_Vada Imilai is becoming a Saint._

Hal couldn't believe it. Not until the day he watched it himself, in the grand amphitheater along with the entire student body of the Centarium, all clad in their formal robes with no Arms ribbons or Platform badges. Now, they were all united as Devotees of Ghestruel.

He clutched his locket as he watched Vada stride across the arena floor toward the dais at which the Lord Superior Hierophant was waiting. Vada was wearing his uniform without the cape, looking strangely small and vulnerable without it.

Hal wasn't wearing the pendant with the potion; instead, he kept it inside his room drawer. He didn't know why. It still felt like a dream, that day when the Lord Superior Hierophant had congratulated him in person.

The entire campus knew, or had some inkling at least. Thelm Ruever had attempted to assault Vada, and Hal had attempted to save Vada. Until Vada had defeated Thelm on his own. The basics were right there. Hal had spent almost all his days fending off mobs of curious students. Even his friends kept lobbing questions at him. Eventually Hal had taken to locking himself in his room with only Pency for company.

He didn't _want_ to answer. Didn't want to relive the agony as lightning shredded his insides, or his fury and worry when he saw Vada chained up and half-naked.

Maybe he'd done something heroic, but he sure didn't feel like it. In the end, he hadn't been able to save Vada.

Instead, Vada had saved himself. Hal watched, skin prickling, as Vada knelt before the Lord Superior Hierophant.

"Devotee-in-Command Vada Imilai," declared the Lord Superior Hierophant, his miracled voice carrying around the entire amphitheater. "You have proven yourself time and again to be one of the greatest Devotees to walk through the hallowed halls of the Centarium. And now you have proven yourself like no other. You have defeated Saint Thelm Ruever, leader of the Ignis Saints.

"In honor of your great achievement, under the Great Light of Ghestruel, we hereby recognize that the title of Devotee-in-Command is no longer sufficient enough for one of your talent. Henceforth, you shall be known as Saint-in-Waiting Vada Imilai, carrying all the rights and privileges of a Saint of Ghestruel while finishing your studies at the Centarium.

"It has been over a millennium since a student was award the title of Saint-in-Waiting. You join Seraphina Garrisser as the only other student to bear this vast honor. Remember this, and wear it well."

"I shall, Lord Superior Hierophant," Vada declared, his voice ringing with confidence, with authority. In that moment, Hal truly believed that Vada deserved to be a Saint, no, deserved to be so much more.

A Chosen One even greater than Nassat. For not even Nassat had made the title of Saint-in-Waiting.

As Vada knelt, the Lord Superior Hierophant walked around him and draped a golden robe over his shoulders. The robe of an Enforcer. So Saint Vada had chosen Enforcement as his Primary Arm. Just like Nassat.

"Stand, Saint-in-Waiting Vada Imilai. Swear your oath upon your new title."

Vada drew Dark Star. Standing in a stiff fencer's salute, sword before him, he declared, "I, Saint-in-Waiting Vada Imilai, dedicate my life and days in the service of Ghestruel's Infinite Wisdom, Light, and Succor. I swear that I will honor the Nine-Armed One with my every thought and action. I am a light upon the world, a shining beacon for all to follow. I shall not dishonor or besmirch my status as Saint in any way. From now until the end of my days, let my blood bind my vows."

With that, he extended his left palm and drew Dark Star across it. Hal winced as a bright red line appeared across Vada's pale skin and blood rolled in droplets onto the floor of the amphitheater. He knew Vada's elf physiology would ensure he healed quickly, but it still looked like it hurt.

Well, Hal would one day do the same, when he graduated as a Saint.

Now the audience rose to their feet, applauding as one. Hal joined in, feeling lost within their ranks, just another Devotee. And Vada, now a Saint, lay forever beyond his reach.

Then again, he'd been a fool for thinking he could reach Vada in the first place. Yet several blessed times, he had. Not only during their sex. But when they'd sat together and talked in Vada's room. When they'd danced. And when Hal had followed Pency to the dark room in the tree, thinking of nothing except making sure that Vada was all right...

Hal swallowed and gripped his locket tighter. Yet for the first time, thoughts of Rayton refused to fill his head.


	20. Chapter 20

The first person to greet Vada as he left the amphitheater was Mother, of course, who pulled him into a tight embrace and tugged on his new golden robe and squealed about how he was now her dear Saint. Vada let her fuss over him, if only to soften the blow when he told her he intended to stay on campus during the term break.

Vada normally stayed during the second term break, but he had the feeling Mother had been expecting him to come back with her this time. Sure enough, she was disappointed, but then kissed his cheeks and said, "I'm sure you have important Saint business to take care of."

Indeed, Vada did. As a new Saint, even if his status was not fully formalized yet, he had to be inducted into the secrets of the Saints - the archives he could now access, the weapons he was now permitted to use. He also learned that he had the authority to design and teach a class of his own, and it would count toward his graduation credits.

So Vada threw himself into creating a class on Enforcer basics aimed at struggling students. He'd discovered during his mentorship of Thorner that he quite enjoyed watching Thorner visibly improve because of him, so he figured maybe he'd enjoy tutoring more students too.

Speaking of Thorner, he was a problem that needed to be taken care of.

The Hierophants had made it clear that they intended to one day soon rope Thorner into the morning sessions. After all, they'd given Thorner that potency potion. Even as a Saint, Vada knew he didn't have the power to make these men stop. They still controlled his life, and he must never forget it.

But maybe he had the power to change things between him and Thorner.

It was only with a faint trickle of misgivings that Vada put his plan into motion. _This is for the best,_ he told himself. _For the best..._

He and Thorner just couldn't grow any closer.

* * *

Hal stayed on campus during the break, like he always did. In fact, he hadn't gone back to the Rusaida ever since he'd left them five years ago. In all honesty - though Hal hated to admit it - there was nothing left for him on the plains. His parents were gone. So was Rayton.

Normally Hal spent this time relaxing, living the high life sleeping and eating and playing with Pency. He didn't anticipate this break being any different, except maybe he'd get to have some fun with Vada.

It was hard getting a moment alone with Vada, though. Mr. Perfect had stayed on campus too, but he was always off on some important Saint business or another. When he wasn't, he was marching around with his usual posse, his new golden cape swirling around him. He'd gotten even more fancy embroidery on his jacket, and his armor pieces seemed spikier than ever.

Several times Hal tried approaching the group, but Vada would just walk faster without throwing a single glance at Hal.

Damn him, he was deliberately _trying_ to ignore Hal! But why?

It didn't help that Hal's relaxation plans were quickly dashed. Though Vada's new status had stolen most of campus' attention, they still hadn't forgotten that Hal had tried to save Vada from Thelm. Several of Vada's fangirls, indeed, had switched their affections over to Hal, presumably because he made an easier target. They dogged him day in and day out. Pency did her best to help Hal get rid of them, even attempting to roar, but this just made the fangirls giggle and squeal about how cute she was.

One day after Hal had just barely managed to throw the fangirls at the library, he climbed up the spiral staircase to his room in a state of utter exhaustion. He could _really_ use a fuck now. If Saint Vada would let him.

Rather than enter through the door, Hal decided to switch things up. He jumped off the staircase and shimmied up the bricks until he reached the window. He pushed the window open and jumped inside -

And saw Vada crouching before his open drawer.

Vada's head snapped up. His golden eyes met Hal's. An electric spark passed between the two of them.

"Imilai," Hal said. "What are you doing in my room?"

"That's _Saint_ Imilai to you," Vada said, sounding snottier than Hal had ever heard him.

Hal was a bit nonplussed, but not intimidated. "Okay, _Saint_ Imilai." He even swept into an exaggerated bow. "What the hell are you doing in my room?"

It was then that he noticed the object Vada was holding. A small glass sphere surrounded by a silver frame. Hal's stomach flipped. "What are you doing with that?"

"Nothing," Vada said.

"Seriously? You expect me to buy that? You're creeping about in my room and taking my stuff, you don't think that's suspicious, pal?"

"Saint Imilai," Vada snapped.

"What, is this what Saints do? Sneak around in other people's rooms?"

"I - I - " Two bright spots of red appeared in Vada's cheeks. Oddly enough, seeing him blush cheered Hal. So he was still the same prideful, easily embarrassed dork as ever. Becoming a Saint hadn't changed him _that_ much.

Then Vada drew in a deep breath, and glared Hal in the eye. "I'm taking this because you don't deserve it, obviously."

"What?" Hal felt like he'd been socked in the stomach. "Hold on, pal, what gives you the - "

"You're a loser and a failure. What did you do besides create a brief distraction for me?"

Hal couldn't believe what he was hearing. The blood was pounding in his ears. "Imilai, you - "

"I keep telling you, call me my proper title. _Saint_ Imilai."

"Imilai," Hal said, more emphatically. "You're a dick, but not _that_ much of a dick. I distinctly remember you thanking me for fighting him."

"I was still in shock. Now I've gotten time to think it over, and I realize that you're as useless as ever."

Hal's anger rose and rose, until he could barely breathe. Just what - what was _happening?_ It was like Vada had turned into a completely different person. The person who Hal had once thought him to be, but soon found out was not the case. Now Vada seemed determined to become that person in earnest.

A gigantic, self-important, puffed up, pompous _dick._

"I regret each and every association I ever had with you," Vada continued, poison in his voice. "In the end, you're still the same loser you always were."

Hal cast about desperately for a way to fight back. "Even - even when we fucked?"

Vada jerked like he'd been slapped. "I was merely satisfying my physiological needs as an incubus. I deeply regret ever revealing the truth to you."

"Who else knows?" Hal said, reckless in anger. "Did Thelm Ruever know? Is that why he tried to rape you?"

Vada drew himself to his full height, eyes flashing. "How _dare_ you speak to me in such an insolent manner! I order you to shut your foul mouth!"

Hal laughed, though he didn't think anything about the current scene was funny at all. "Well, did he? You didn't answer my question."

"There's nothing worth answering, _Devotee_ Thorner. Now, I'm confiscating this."

"You don't have the authority to! The Hierophants gave it to me, and you're just a Saint."

Vada's face twisted. "And _you're_ just a Devotee."

"Give it back!" Hal dove at Vada, fury thrumming in his every nerve. He grabbed for the sphere, but Vada was taller than him, so he simply lifted it out of Hal's reach. Then, his face chalk-white with fury, he dashed it upon the floor.

Hal let out a strangled yell as glass shards sprayed and the golden liquid spread in a puddle. The silver frame twisted and dented. "What - what - "

"You don't deserve this, I said," Vada said, quiet and dangerous.

"What the hell _happened_ to you, Imilai?"

"Saint - "

Hal shouted over Vada. "I helped you! Not just that time, but when you were sulking in your room - I went out of my way for you. We're _friends,_ aren't we?"

"I'm a Saint. I can't be friends with such an enormous loser as yourself." Vada whipped around, swirling his stupid new golden cape behind him. Hatred seared through Hal, hot and bitter and so, so painful.

He wanted to do something - _anything_ \- to wound Vada. "You can act like this," he hissed, clenching his hands into fists, "like a perfect Saint, but I know what you really are. You're a _slut."_

Hal had never, _never_ seen Vada so furious before. His golden eyes were as bright as twin fires. He whirled around and lashed out and before Hal could figure out what was going on, a bolt of lightning struck him and threw him off his feet.

The pain seared through Hal, making his teeth chatter, the same agony that had torn him apart when he'd attempted to fight Thelm. How long ago that had been. He crashed against the wall and slid down, groaning, twitching.

"Fuck," Vada snarled, " _you."_

Then he marched off and slammed the door shut behind him.

* * *

What had he done?

What in the name of the ever-loving Angel had Hal _done?_

Hal buried himself in bed, never wanting to leave, wishing he could die. What had he said to Vada? _Slut, slut, slut._ The word echoed in his head, mocking him.

It was the _worst_ possible thing he could have said to a rape victim. He knew it, he'd known it at the time, and he hadn't cared; he'd just wanted to wound Vada. And he had succeeded, too well. Because right before Vada had blasted him with lightning, Hal had seen the raw hurt flashing in his eyes, stabbing Hal in the heart.

It would be a miracle if Vada even wanted to _look_ at Hal again.

As the new term began, Hal dully noticed that Vada had started teaching his own class, a revision of Enforcement principles. Hal toyed with the idea of showing up - it would be the perfect excuse to make Vada talk to him - but when the time for class selection came around, Hal didn't choose it.

He probably wouldn't have gotten in, anyway. He heard from Rodmont that the waitlist was several hundred names long.

Cinda and Rodmont, back from a vacation they'd taken together to the tropical islands of Yamure, noticed Hal's foul mood. They also figured out quickly that it had something to do with Vada, but Hal refused to tell them anything more. Let them make of it what they would.

Only Pency had seen and heard some of what had transpired. She fluttered over Hal as Hal lay in bed, squeaking in concern. "Hal, it's okay! If you just apologize to him, I'm sure you'll be friends again."

"What's the point?" Hal said bitterly. "He doesn't want to be my friend."

"How could he have changed so much?" Pency said. "Didn't he invite you to the Cotillion? I thought he really liked you."

"Who knows what's running through his mind."

"You know, yesterday I talked to Xargo," Pency added, sounding contemplative.

Hal rolled over to stare at Pency. "That thing can talk?"

"He just doesn't like talking," Pency said, and with great pride she added, "but he'll talk to me."

"So? What did he say?"

"He said that at night, Vada locks himself into his room and cries."

"What?" Hal's heart beat faster.

"That's what Xargo said," Pency said, flapping her wings.

"He's probably crying because his students are so shitty," Hal said, but his heart wasn't into it. He kept thinking of the hurt flashing in Vada's eyes. It couldn't be of what Hal had said...? No, Vada was more resilient than that.

Could it be that he regretted what he'd said to Hal? Then why had he done it? And was Hal just grasping at straws for some, _any,_ proof that Vada didn't hate him forever?

Why did it matter to him so much? Hal clutched his pendant of Rayton, but like usual these days, it didn't send the usual memories swimming through his mind. Why did Rayton feel so far away now? Like somebody from another life...

 _But I'm not in love with Vada,_ Hal thought stubbornly. _I'm not in love. His pheromones seduced me._

But this - _this_ \- he knew had nothing to do with pheromones. This desire to somehow make things right between them.

* * *

Another morning, another session.

These had not stopped after Vada had become a Saint-in-Waiting. Of course they wouldn't have. They were the one constant in his life, had been the one constant for three years.

Today, Vada's heart trembled when he saw Elairya Luminasca present, along with her cousin Gavidio Damascanara and a dignified-looking older elf who happened to be Gavidio's father. He should have expected this. Even though he had become a Saint, he couldn't escape the repercussions of insulting Elairya by bringing Thorner to the Cotillion.

Thorner. Vada didn't want to think about him. But once again, he heard Thorner's mocking whisper in his ears. _"You're a slut."_

In the end, Thorner was no different from any of the others. He'd manage to hide it better, almost fooling Vada, but he'd revealed his true colors in the heat of that moment. It should have come as a relief. Now he knew exactly where he stood with Thorner. Thorner had never been a reprieve from these morning degradations. He'd just been more of the same.

So Vada told himself, but that didn't explain why his heart ached so damn much. Why he wanted to grab Thorner by the collar and shake him and yell that it _wasn't_ true, that he was much more than a mere slut of an incubus.

He wanted Thorner to think better of him. He himself wanted to believe better of him.

Vada mechanically stripped himself, feeling the green eyes of all three elves burning into his skin. He walked to the desk, got down on his hands and knees, patiently awaited whatever they had in store.

Whatever it was, it couldn't be half as bad as that voice whispering, _"Slut."_

"Dear Vada Imilai," said Gavidio's father, his voice rich and oily. "You seem to only become more and more beautiful each time I see you."

"Oh, don't say that." Elairya sounded cross. "Today you're getting punished, Vada. I don't care if you're a Saint or not. You don't have the right to mock me like you did at the Cotillion."

 _I don't care. Let it come._ "Yes, I understand," Vada said dully, staring at the grain in the wood.

"Open the box," Gavidio said. So he'd brought another interesting specimen. Vada watched, not really caring, as Hierophant Shell took the lid off a wooden crate in the corner of the room. At first nothing emerged, and Vada's heart flipped; maybe it had died in transit. Maybe it had escaped. Maybe there was nothing there.

But of course, his hopes were quickly dashed. The tip of a vine emerged from the box, turning back and forth as if testing the air. More and more of the vine rose up, allowing Vada a perfect view of the many thick, fleshy nubs covering its body and the dozens of wriggling cilia covering each nub.

Soon, it would go inside him. Vada's cock gave a twinge, and his asshole quivered.

With the physical reaction came the first stirrings of shame - a shame that quickly transformed into a burning, white-hot anger as once again Thorner's accusation marched through his mind. _"You're a slut."_

Wrong. Wrong, _completely_ wrong. He wasn't a slut, and this was his chance to prove it. He wouldn't get turned on by this plant. He wouldn't cum. He wouldn't beg for more.

Vada dug his nails into the desk, scratching at the wood. He clenched his teeth as the vine moved closer and closer to him. More vines were rising from the box.

"A very rare specimen," said Gavidio's father, almost chortling in delight. "I sent a special expedition into the demonic lands to capture it. They're carnivorous, they prey on incubi and succubi in the wild. Fuck them until they can't get up, and then dissolve them with acid. It's quite nasty."

"We'll stop it before it reaches that point, of course," said the Lord Superior Hierophant.

Once, Vada had hated his tormenters for everything they'd done to him. Over the years, the feeling had dulled to resignation. Now the old hatred lashed through him, searing hot, almost wiping out the heat already stirring in the pit of his stomach. _Bastards. None of you embody Ghestruel's will. One day - one day you will get your due -_

Today, the least he could do was _resist._ Truly resist, and prove once and for all that he _was_ the next Chosen One, he _wasn't_ a slut -

The vines reached him. Two wrapped around his ankles, forcing his legs wider apart, and Vada gasped as the fleshy nubs rubbed his skin and the cilia tickled him. One slid across his chest. The nubs massaged and squeezed like fingers, and the cilia left prickling trails in their wake.

Vada bit his lip, squeezed his eyes shut, determined not to moan. But it was hard, so hard, especially when the vine passed over his left nipple and rubbed a full circle. The tender bud hardened and an answering twinge jumped through his cock.

Sweat beaded on Vada's forehead. He dug his teeth into his lip, tasting blood. _I will not moan, I will not react, I am not, I am NOT getting hard from this._

Another vine went around his back, brushing a soft, hair-raising trail down his spine. Vada bit his lip harder. He focused on the awful thick coppery taste of his blood, because it at least distracted him from the vines' touches and squeezes and those damn cilia flicking and squirming over all the skin they could reach.

"Come now, don't hold your voice in," Gavidio said, moving closer. "You know this feels good, doesn't it?"

"No," Vada gasped out. "No. It doesn't... _nnhhh..."_

Damn him, he unleashed his first moan. He tried to swallow it back, but the damage was done. The vines closed around his wrists next, pinning them together behind his back, holding him with surprising force. A second one joined the one roving across his chest, the nubs pinching and poking at his skin and making him gasp and whimper. Damn it, _damn it -_

But he wouldn't give up, not yet. "It doesn't," he groaned as a vine brushed his cheek, the cilia tickling his skin. "It doesn't feel good, I don't like it, I w-won't, I _won't - "_

"Someone's protesting too much," said Elairya, snickering.

Now two vines were rubbing his nipples, massaging forcefully yet also delicately flicking the cilia over them. The combination of sensations on his sensitive skin drove him insane. His cock jumped higher, and he shook his head, writhed in the vines' grip, panting, "No, no, no, I don't, I'm not - "

_I'm not enjoying this. I'm not a slut, I won't get turned on by this!_

"You're resisting more than usual today," noted the Lord Superior Hierophant.

"Oh, but he's enjoying it," chuckled Gavidio's father. "Look how dark his markings are."

"I'm not," Vada growled. "I - _ahh!"_

For a vine had found his cock. It squeezed the head, and Vada's back arched as the cilia rubbed the tender, throbbing skin. It was like a jolt of electricity had shot through his entire body, leaving him feeling exquisitely awake - especially where the Angel-damned vines were touching.

"Stop! Stop, no, _no,"_ he groaned as his cock jumped and hardened. The fleshy nubs rubbed back and forth, clenching and unclenching around his entire cock, and then the vine started _pumping,_ moving up and down. The cilia were flicking their tender little tips all over his cock, the head and shaft and balls, and he was making horrible noises in response, groans and gasps and whimpers and pants and moans.

"I'm not, I d-don't, I don't like this, I _don't - "_ He squeezed his eyes shut, sucked in deep, desperate breaths, did everything, _everything_ to hold himself back from the precipice he was hurtling toward. He would not cum. He _would not_ cum.

If he did, he'd prove Thorner right, and that was the last, the _last_ thing he wanted. If that fucking _loser_ was right about him -

Tears stung Vada's eyes. He shook and convulsed wildly in the vines' grip, trying to throw them off, but it just made them tighten, made the cilia brush his skin all the more madly. _"Stop!"_ he screamed. _"Stop, I won't - "_

"So stubborn," Elairya sighed. "Come on, go ahead, you can fill up his hole. See what he says then."

 _No._ If the vines fucked him, he didn't know - he was already so close -

That was thinking like a loser. The loser he _wasn't._ He'd just have to fight even harder, even fiercer. With all his willpower. As another vine, much thicker than the rest, began to approach him from behind, Vada squeezed his eyes shut and did what he had long stopped doing during these sessions: he began to pray.

_O Great Ghestruel, Angel whose Nine Arms spread across All the Blessed Nations, cast your light upon me so that I may forever walk the righteous path. Guard me from evil, no matter what form it may take, and make my every step brave and sure and full of light._

No response, but it didn't matter, just concentrating on the prayers would be enough. If he dared sully the holiness of the prayers by coming, then it was truly over. Then he didn't deserve to be a Saint.

_Then Thorner was right._

The tip of the vine poked his entrance. He felt himself widen in response, and his eyes snapped open. The sensation of the cilia stroking the wet, tender skin sent electric tingles shooting through his entire body.

He bit his lip, hard, tasted blood again. _Great Ghestruel, please, lend me your succor. Even I, an unworthy penitent, hear my plea and grant it - keep me from evil - from now until the end of days, may I stand bathed in your righteous light -_

He was mixing up his prayers now but he didn't care, anything, _anything_ to remember his position as a true and holy Saint, to dwell in the realm of the blessed and sacred and ethereal instead of here in his physical body ablaze with this cursed pleasure. His vows, he had to remember, he could not besmirch his status as a Saint and this was - this was most definitely -

All thought was wiped from his mind when the vine pushed its way inside.

Vada couldn't help it; he cried out aloud, long and high and thin. This was - this was - the vines on the outside had been bad enough but now they were inside, the nubs massaging every inch of his wet and heaving passage, and the cilia were everywhere, hungrily stroking all the contours of his passage, places that he hadn't even known existed. He screamed higher and higher, thrusting his hips back to take in more of the vine -

 _No._ With all his willpower, he forced himself to fall still, but it didn't matter because the vine was _still_ pushing its way inside. And as it did so, he could feel it secreting a liquid, a liquid that stung and burned wherever it touched, making him so sensitive he began to sob.

"S-stop, stop, stop, stop, _stop,"_ he moaned as the fire built inside. "Ow, please, hurts, it hurts, take it out - "

"Ah, this vine is a distant relative of capsicum," said Gavidio's father like he was delivering an academic lecture. "It's secreting pure capsaicin. A wonderful feeling, isn't it?"

"No, no, I hate it - I - " But he wouldn't reduce himself to begging. He was a Saint. He had some measure of pride. _Pray._ Ghestruel would save him, if he just prayed and longed and wished hard enough.

"G-Great Ghestruel," he panted out loud, in between gasps as the vine thrust. "An...Angel whose Nine Arms spread - spread - _ah!_ \- across All, All the B-Blessed Nations - _nggh ahh_ \- cast, c-cast your light - _ohhpleaseplease - "_

The cilia were moving quicker and quicker, groping him everywhere, and the nubs were rhythmically rubbing the sides of his passage, spreading him so wide that he felt like he would fall apart from the inside. More liquid slicked his insides, not all of it his own lube, and it burned so much and the burning just made his cock stiffer and stiffer.

_But I'm not a slut, I will not, WILL NOT, come from this!_

"Oh my, he's praying," observed Gavidio.

"So that I may, I may, I may forever w-walk the righteous - _ngggh no_ \- path, ahh, _stop!"_ As the vines began to lift him, forcing him up onto his knees so that he was pushing down on the vine inside him. It hit his prostate, and his mind blanked out. The nubs pushed and squeezed that most tender part of his body, the cilia rubbed it with abandon, and he could barely think through the waves of pleasure crashing upon him.

Madly, he made one last attempt at reaching out to the Angel. Ghestruel would center him, force him to remember what was important, and it wasn't his body, wasn't this horrible wrong pleasure. "G-guard, guard me, _ahhhh,_ guard me from - from evil - no m-matter what f-form - _no, no, NO!"_

For his cock was twitching and leaping madly inside the vine still squeezing it, and the vine inside him was slamming harder and harder upon his prostate and all his insides were on fire, and the pain and the pleasure was just too much. He screamed, his lips moving, struggling to form words but the words just weren't coming to him - he couldn't remember - couldn't think - there was just the fire and the rubbing and the stroking and he screamed so loud his voice broke as his orgasm swept through him and his own cum splashed upon his stomach, his chest, his face.

So much of it, and it wouldn't stop, because the vine inside was now hammering insistently upon his prostate, and the nubs were squeezing and massaging it. _"No, no, no, stop, stop,"_ he wailed, but he couldn't stop. The more he came the more the prayers receded from his mind, and the more distant he felt from Ghestruel.

The Angel had abandoned him. He really...

He really was nothing more than a slut.

Moaning, sobbing, he collapsed onto the desk. Dimly, he was aware of the vines sliding away from him, releasing his wrists and ankles, letting go of his cock, gliding off his chest, and finally, pulling out of his ass. Shivering, he curled in on himself, hating how empty he felt now that the vine was no longer inside, the nubs no longer groping and the cilia no longer stroking.

Thorner was right. Vada had been a fool for thinking he could prove that loser wrong.

"I'd say you're well and truly punished, Vada," said Elairya, sounding so cheery that Vada wanted to hit her. Except he didn't have the strength to do so. She leaned over him, brushed her fingers through his sweat-soaked hair. Vada had never felt more disgusted with himself.

"Why were you praying?" Gavidio snickered. "Hoping Ghestruel would keep you from coming? That's an awfully specific reason to pray."

"How...how dare you mock the Angel...," Vada managed to choke out, but this just earned an airy laugh from Gavidio.

"Ooh, Saint Vada is so scary. Try telling me that when you've not been fucked out of your mind and are splattered with your own cum."

His mocking made tears burn Vada's eyes. The worst thing was, Vada couldn't protest.

Elairya, Gavidio, and Gavidio's father packed up the vines and left, apparently satisfied. Hierophant Shell helped him stand and led him into the bathroom. Normally Vada just gave himself a quick rinse in the shower, but today he ran the bath and sat down and didn't get up.

Dimly, detachedly, he watched his skin wrinkle, felt the water grow colder. Then the door opened and the Lord Superior Hierophant stepped inside.

"You're going to be late for your classes," said the Lord Superior Hierophant.

Vada glared down at the still surface of the water. "Lord Superior Hierophant, am I a slut?" he asked, his voice quiet.

"Of course you are," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. Vada hated that he didn't even hesitate; but then, why should he?

"I'm a slut," Vada said louder. "A filthy whore of an incubus. I don't deserve to be a Saint of Ghestruel."

"Well, you are. Now as a Saint, you're an example for all to aspire to, so get up, get dressed, and go to class. I won't tolerate you sulking again."

"You made me a Saint, sir, but you aren't a Sublime Vocalist. You don't speak with the Angel's voice." Vada cast the Lord Superior Hierophant a sidelong smirk. "I know I'm not a Saint in Ghestruel's eyes, and that's all that matters."

"Get up," the Lord Superior Hierophant snapped, seemingly losing patience. "If you don't, I will call Shell in here to forcibly dress you."

"Say, why don't you do it yourself, sir?" Vada slowly lifted himself, letting the water run rivulets down his body. He leaned forward, smirking at the Lord Superior Hierophant through lidded eyes. "You want to, don't you? Go ahead. Touch me. _Fuck_ me."

"Vada, I have no patience for your games. Get out of there and get dressed."

"You know you want it," Vada breathed, leaning even closer to the Lord Superior Hierophant. "Doesn't it get so dreadfully boring always sitting back and touching yourself? Haven't you ever wondered what it feels like..." He lowered his voice to his softest, most seductive whisper. " _Inside?"_

"Vada, I will not repeat myself."

"Or maybe," Vada said, laughing softly, "you're the sort who likes to be fucked? I suppose that type exists. I'll admit to not having any experience in such matters, but I'm sure I can - "

The Lord Superior Hierophant's hand whipped across his face. Vada lurched, almost slipping on the slick floor of the tub. He only barely managed to catch himself on the wall. All the breath had been knocked out of his body.

The Lord Superior Hierophant's face was red with rage. "Saint Vada Imilai, get out of there, put on your clothes, and _go to class."_

"I'm not a Saint," Vada said, slowly dancing his fingers down the wall. Look at that, he could even seduce a wall if he tried enough. "I'm a slut."

The Lord Superior Hierophant stared and stared. Vada could sense his eyes sweeping over his wet, naked body, and Vada responded; leaning against the wall to arch his back and stick out his ass, caressing the tiles even more sensually. His markings began to reappear upon his skin, a delicate pale lavender.

"Sir, it's just you and me, alone, right now," Vada whispered, batting his eyelashes at the Lord Superior Hierophant. "You know what you want to do...what you've always longed to do..."

"You are an incubus. I will not fall for your deceptions. Hierophant Shell!"

"If you won't fuck me, I'm sure Hierophant Shell will."

The burly Hierophant stepped through the door. The Lord Superior Hierophant, quivering with rage, said, "Make sure _Saint Vada Imilai_ puts on his clothes and is ready for class."

"Fuck me," Vada whined, tossing his head back.

Hierophant Shell stared at the Lord Superior Hierophant, who heaved a noisy sigh.

"I don't know why he's acting like this. Ignore him. You may punish him all you like after class."

"If the punishment involves cocks," Vada said, forcing another breathless laugh, "I'm all for it."

Hierophant Shell came closer, frowning. He reached out and his huge hands closed around Vada's waist, lifting him out of the tub. Vada tried to lean closer to him, but Hierophant Shell pushed him back before throwing a towel over his head. He began to wipe, none too gently.

"Sir, please, you're hurting me," Vada gasped, writhing his body into sensuous poses as Shell worked. "Come now, can't you be gentle?"

He continued his seduction attempts as Shell pulled his clothes on with rough, quick motions. Once, he even managed to trail his fingertips along Shell's jaw, at least until Shell pushed him away. But even beneath his Hierophant robes, Vada could see Shell's erection beginning to swell. It was working.

To what end, Vada had no idea. He just had nothing left to lose by acting like this, a typical incubus. Anything and everything could make him cum, so why not enjoy it himself?

Soon he was fully dressed in his Saint regalia, but that didn't mean the seduction game had to end. He leaned forward, moving toward Shell, smiling coyly up at him. "Sir, if you please, I'll be waiting for you after class. Just for you."

Shell swallowed, very hard. It took all of Vada's effort not to laugh.

"It's the pheromones," the Lord Superior Hierophant said harshly. "Ignore him."

"If you want, I'll let you join in on the fun too," Vada said. Then, daringly, he leaned up on his tiptoes and kissed Shell on the cheek.

A faint flush colored Shell's skin. _Victory._

"Enough!" The Lord Superior Hierophant swiped out, snatched Vada by the arm, dragged him away from Shell. Vada writhed in his grip, but the Lord Superior Hierophant was surprisingly strong.

"Don't complain, sir," Vada said as the Lord Superior Hierophant gave him a mighty shove toward the office exit. "You made me into this. You taught me how much I _love_ getting fucked. I _love_ big thick cocks pounding inside me, especially yours, Hierophant Shell."

Another coy smile at the thoroughly red Shell. The Lord Superior Hierophant made a noise akin to a whistling teapot.

Laughing, Vada sauntered all the way to the waiting medusid, making sure to sway his hips for Shell's benefit.

Damnation, but this was proving to be _fun._

 _Are you happy now, Thorner?_ he thought bitterly. _You were right all along. I should have just given in and realized the truth earlier._


	21. Chapter 21

So he was a slut. He loved nothing more than sex, lived for the heat and the delight of other bodies rubbing against his, hands groping him, cocks and toys moving inside him. He'd realized this now, and now he could make his peace with it.

And in a weird way, it gave him some kind of power. Before, he'd endured his morning degradations because he had no choice. But since he loved sex, and would cum no matter what, why couldn't he take charge of when and where he did it? He was a slut, so why not act like it?

Vada knew exactly where his first stop would be.

It was late at night, much later than he usually was awake, but Vada didn't care. He had nothing to live for except sex now, so what did it matter if he wasn't entirely alert during the school day? He stalked through the halls of the Scarlet Mansion, up several flights of stairs until he found the top-floor drawing room. It was mostly abandoned these days, except when a small group of ninth-years gathered to smoke grinjal and discuss philosophy.

One of them was Corbin Raisthi, one of Vada's supposed friends. Tonight, Vada was going to give Corbin the surprise of a lifetime.

The entire hall already reeked of grinjal, making Vada's head spin. He breathed in the fumes, forcing himself not to choke or cough. Maybe with some drugs in his system, this would go better. Why was he so nervous, anyway? It was just sex, and he'd had tons of sex over the past three years.

But this was going to be one of the few times he ever initiated it himself. With somebody besides Hallert Thorner.

Thorner. Vada didn't want to think about that loser. He strode to the drawing room door and flung it open.

Immediately a cloud of purple grinjal smoke billowed out into the hall. This time, Vada couldn't help himself; he coughed.

Heads turned toward him. Voices stilled.

"Shit, fuck, it's Vada Imilai," somebody said.

"Hey, don't worry, we were just clearing out, okay?" said Corbin, waving his hands as if that would disperse the smoke. "Don't tell a teacher."

"I wasn't going to," Vada said, stepping inside the room. He shut the door behind him.

Through the dim clouds of grinjal, he saw curious eyes peering at him. There had to be around ten to twelve boys in the room, many of them scaly-skinned Crinari. All of their attention made him want to quail, to shrink back - no, what was he thinking? He was a slut. He basked in the spotlight.

So he put on a mysterious smile and said, "In fact, I was hoping I might join in on the fun."

"Huh?" Corbin exchanged glances with a few of the others. Their confusion made sense; as far as everyone knew, perfect Saint Vada Imilai was not the kind of person who had fun. Especially if the fun involved drugs.

"If you like, I can give you something more fun than just some grinjal," Vada continued, smirking at Corbin through half-closed eyes. He very carefully and delicately unclasped his cape, letting it slither down his back and pool at his feet. Then he opened his jacket and began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Whoa, wait, Vada," said Corbin, as confused murmurs flickered among the others. Yes, they were confused, but Vada also sensed the silvery edge of interest charging the smoke-thick atmosphere of the room. It made him smirk harder.

Vada shed his jacket and shirt, then skimmed his hands across his bare chest. The grinjal smoke brushed his skin, and he felt his nipples stiffen. And his markings began to appear, pale at first, but steadily darkening and he sashayed deeper into the room.

"Whoa, those markings," breathed a Crinari boy who, with a start, Vada recognized as one of Thorner's friends. His name Vada had forgotten, if he'd ever known. "Wait, Imilai, are you - are you a - "

"Shh." Vada bent down and pressed a fingertip to the boy's lips. "Not a word of this leaves this room, understand? This is..." He leaned closer, lowering his voice to his most seductive whisper. " _Our_ little secret."

"Holy shit," said a round-eyed Corbin.

Vada laughed. The grinjal smoke was making his entire body feel light, light enough to float. The boys were getting up, moving closer to him. Compelled now. His pheromones were having their effect.

"I imagine your lives must be so stressful right now, as you're preparing for the graduation exam," Vada breathed, moving his hands down to the waistband of his pants. "Why not... _relax..._ a little bit? Come now, boys, take whatever you want."

_I don't care. This is what I live for. That's why I'm getting so excited._

His pants fell down. He sank into an empty chair, stretched out his leg, and one of the boys got the signal and knelt before him and got to work unlacing his boots. Vada offered the boy a dazzling smile and ran his hand through the boy's coarse dark hair. The boy swallowed visibly.

"Can I - " This was Corbin, coming up to Vada's side. "Can I touch you, Vada?"

Vada threw his head back, stretched his body luxuriously. "Wherever you want."

Corbin reached out trembling fingertips, brushing them lightly over Vada's chest. Even that faint, skittering contact made heat spark in Vada's veins. Emboldened, Corbin pressed down harder. His scaly skin felt smooth and dry, a not unpleasant sensation. His fingers traced a trail along Vada's left pectoral, then reached his nipple, and carefully brushed the tender bud. Vada gasped as it stiffened.

Corbin gave his nipple a firm squeeze, drawing another gasp from Vada. And more hands were roving over him, tracing his markings, brushing his sides, his face, his thighs and calves. Then one daring hand reached between his legs. Vada trembled as the fingers roved up his inner thighs, then reached the base of his balls.

He moaned aloud as the fingers skimmed up his balls, making them tighten, making his cock stiffen. "Oh, wow, look at that," someone said.

The grinjal smoke was growing thicker and thicker. Vada could only see silhouettes through it. "Rodmont, hand that over," someone said. The Crinari boy who Vada recognized as Thorner's friend passed a lit joint of grinjal into another Crinari's hand, who pushed it into Vada's hand.

Vada had never smoked grinjal before, but he knew the theory well enough. He lifted the joint to his lips and drew in a long draught. The pungent smoke filled his throat and lungs, making him cough. When he breathed out, he felt as though he were floating above his body, watching what all the others were doing to him.

Their touches had gotten more and more aggressive. Someone had grabbed his cock and was tugging on it. Someone else was rubbing his balls. A forked tongue licked a trail up to his nipples, then sucked on a bud, making Vada gasp. Pleasure pulsed through him, dull and distant.

"Mm, yes, more." Words fell from his lips, but he felt oddly detached from them. He was saying all the expected things, but this didn't feel right, it didn't feel -

No, it was what he wanted, because he was a whore and a slut.

He took another long draught of the grinjal, this time succeeding in not coughing. The drug left behind a horrid bitter aftertaste but he didn't care.

Hands moved around his back, lifting him from the chair. He spilled onto his hands and knees onto the carpeted floor, his cock bouncing. Someone spread his thighs. Appreciative whistles traveled around the room.

"Look, look, he's dripping wet - "

"So those are incubus fluids."

"His hole is quivering, how cute."

Something, Vada needed to say something. But what? The grinjal was fogging all of his senses. Fingers probed his asshole, startlingly cold, spreading it wide open. More whistles and cheers.

"F-fuck," Vada finally managed to say. "Fuck me. I'm a slut, I'm a whore, I can't survive without cocks."

Yes, that was the right thing to say. It was the truth. Yet even so, when fingers plunged into the hole, opening him from the inside, a protest rose to his lips. He bit it down. He had no right, none. He would cum no matter what, so what was the point of saying no? His mind might hate it, but his body loved it, and _that_ was all that mattered.

He really needed another hit of grinjal. But the joint had spilled out of his hands. Something poked his face. A cock. Vada leaned forward and took it into his mouth. It was a Crinari cock, long and tapered and somewhat prehensile. He felt its tip flicker about inside his mouth, reminding him of the roving tentacles from earlier. He sucked harder. It tasted like grinjal, or maybe everything just did now.

As the person fingered him from behind, Vada's hips moved on their own, drawing the fingers even deeper inside him. The person's nails were sharp; they scraped against the sides of his passage, and this just made him even more excited.

"Wow, Imilai, you really are a whore," someone said. "Look at how hard he is."

Someone reached beneath him, gave his cock a squeeze. Vada arched his back and cried out, high and thin, as the person began to tug and yank, none too gently.

Another cock poked his cheek. "Fuck off," shouted a voice. "I was here first."

"Oh, come on, he can take both of us!"

"Let me fill this hole behind." The fingers slid out. Then Vada felt a Crinari cock slide inside him, pushing him wide open and flicking its tip against the heaving sides of his passage. Vada opened his mouth wide, moaning into the cock in his mouth, and that was when the second cock slipped inside. Vada concentrated on sucking both cocks at the same time, taking them as deep as he could manage - not as deep as he could a single cock, but he could take them both almost halfway down. His mouth and throat felt uncomfortably full; he felt close to gagging. A feeling that only increased as the cock inside him began to thrust, hard and vicious and artless.

"Mmmn, n, no," he gasped into the cocks in his mouth.

 _No?_ Why had he said _no?_ He had no right. As if to make up for his protest, he sucked harder, and soon cum gushed down his throat. Crinari cum, thick and bitter. Vada choked and sputtered on it.

The cocks drew away, pausing to brush over his lips. "Wow, your mouth is amazing, Imilai."

"Come on, Rodmont, give him a try, I bet he's way better than your girlfriend - "

"Cinda's not my girlfriend!" The voice was high, almost hysterical.

"Nngh, ohh," Vada groaned as the cock inside him pounded against his prostate. He pushed his hips back, swallowing up even more of it.

"Oh Great Angel," moaned the person fucking him. "So good, so good, he's squeezing me, clamping down, amazing - Imilai I'm gonna - "

 _What? You only just began,_ Vada wanted to protest, but that was when rough hands grabbed his arms and waist and flipped him over. That was enough for the person fucking him; cum gushed inside him, filling up his insides, making him gasp at the sudden fullness.

Dimly Vada heard some shoving, then the cock yanked roughly out. Cum spilled out, splattering his thighs. Vada's cock twitched. Then someone settled down between his thighs, and once again a cock was filling him up, a human cock this time, big and thick and pushing his insides so wide open Vada threw his head back and wailed.

"W-wait," he sputtered. "Wait, don't - "

Why? Why couldn't he stop himself from protesting? He wanted this. He _wanted_ this. He had come here for this reason and now he was getting it and he had no reason, absolutely none, to complain. He was a slut and this was how sluts got treated.

A Crinari cock poked his hand, tentatively; Vada grabbed it and squeezed. Another cock in his other hand. Then someone crouched in front and pushed his cock into Vada's mouth, and the person inside him was thrusting with fierce, swift strokes, making his back arch each time he hit Vada's prostate. It was too much, all the stimulation - Vada's cock was bouncing and jumping wildly, and then someone squeezed it tight and before he knew it he went taut as a bowstring and came with a strangled shout.

His insides clamped down even harder on the cock inside him. Vada cried in pain, but it was muffled by the cock in his mouth. Another cock joined it, probing at the corners of his lips; Vada opened his mouth to let it in, even as he sensed the situation was getting out of control. He felt sick, his head was swimming, and the cock pounding inside no longer felt so pleasurable, it _hurt._

_Stop, stop, I don't want this!_

_No, I do, I do, that's why I came here, that's why I -_

All thought wiped out when the cock inside came, flooding his already slick passage with burning hot cum. Vada moaned and thrashed. The cocks in his mouth came as well, making him choke on even more cum. As they drew away he spat it out in great foul-tasting globs, his nausea increasing.

"No, wait, no more, stop," he found himself gasping, tossing his head back and forth. But he was still rubbing the cocks in his hands and they both came at the same time, slicking his palms with cum, and somebody else was crouching between his legs. The person gripped his thighs and lifted his legs over narrow shoulders, almost bending his body in half, and once more, for the third time tonight, pushed his way inside.

"No more," Vada moaned, but he was getting hard again, and the hands and cocks were everywhere, all over his body, and he was reacting to all the filthy touches. Someone pressed a joint to his mouth and he sucked in the grinjal madly, desperately, hoping it would somehow make things right, but his nausea only increased and he felt even more sickeningly detached from his body. His head banged against the floor with each ferocious thrust.

_Too much, this is too much -_

_No, there can't be too much for a slut._

So he told himself, but his chest heaved and as another cock probed his lips, Vada gasped in a deep, desperate breath - and threw up.

It was mostly cum, mixed with stomach acid, burning as it surged up his esophagus and out his mouth. "Oh, shit, sick," someone said. Another person put their hands on his back and helped him sit up. Vada continued to vomit. The person inside him pulled out.

"Shit, Vada, are you okay?" asked Corbin.

"I don't know, I don't know about this," said Rodmont, sounding even more hysterical.

"Bad reaction to the grinjal, must be - "

"Your first time taking it, right?"

Vada couldn't speak. He shook and heaved and spat until nothing was coming out, until his stomach felt like it had knotted into a hard ball.

"No," he managed to say when the words came to him. He crawled forward, madly reaching until his hands brushed an erect cock. He grabbed it, squeezed, drawing forth a startled moan. "Wanna keep going. I can, I can keep going. I'm a slut, this is nothing - "

"Imilai, you just threw up - "

"Just don't give him any more grinjal."

"More," Vada moaned, tugging harder on the cock. "More, more, more. Fill me up, fuck me, your cocks are all I want."

Cum splattered his hand. He felt rough hands grab his hips, pull him backwards, and once again he was being speared from behind, this time by a Crinari cock. Vada eagerly matched the person's thrusts, moved his hips in a familiar rhythm, and began to laugh, a mad, hysterical giggle that rose and rose and rose and still didn't banish the awful sour taste of his own vomit from his mouth.

But he didn't care.

As long as he was being fucked, everything else didn't matter.

He laughed and laughed because it was better than saying no.

* * *

"Hal. Hal!"

Hal started at the sound of Cinda's voice. He jerked up from the book that he actually hadn't been reading, and darted a glance around. Cinda was approaching his table in the library, fists on her hips.

Hal put down his book. Supposedly he'd been studying for an upcoming history exam, but in reality none of Hal's attention had been on the book's endless droning about dynasties about warfare. Instead, he'd been thinking about Vada. His own awful words marched through his mind, a mocking litany. _You're a slut. A slut. Slut._

He'd just been on the edge of making up his mind to go apologize to Vada when Cinda had interrupted him. Hal sighed, hoping she'd make this quick.

"What is it?"

Cinda drew up a chair across from Hal and sat down, resting her chin in her hands. Her eyes were distant, troubled. Today her irises were leaf-green with dappled shadows moving across them, and her hair was shaped like the leaves of a tree laden with little golden fruits. A ridiculous look, but Hal didn't comment on it.

"What's the matter, Cinda?" he asked, a little gentler since she didn't seem ready to speak. Which rather worried Hal. He was used to Cinda being the most grounded of the three friends. Rodmont was prone to fits of depression, and Hal was - well, Hal. Cinda, on the contrary, was rarely anything besides chipper and sprightly.

"It's Rodmont," Cinda said.

Hal grinned. "Got boyfriend trouble?"

"No, I'm worried about him as a _friend."_ Cinda punctuated her statement by slapping the table. "He's been - have you even noticed, Hal? You seem to be living in your own head more often than not these days."

Right, because Hal kept replaying that horrible moment when he'd unleashed those words upon Vada. The hurt flashing in Vada's eyes haunted his nightmares.

"There." Cinda snapped her fingers. "You've got that look in your eyes again."

"What look?"

"Like you couldn't be farther away from here. Oh..." Cinda shook her head. "No wonder you haven't noticed. Hal, Roddy's in one of his moods again, and it's worse than ever before. He won't tell me what's wrong. Last night, before he even took his clothes off, he just broke down crying."

Hal's head snapped up. He'd never known Rodmont to cry without alcohol being involved.

"Can you talk to him?" Cinda looked helpless. "Nothing I say can get him to spill, but maybe it'll be differen if it's you. If it's two guys, I guess. Talk to him in guy language or something."

 _No, I need to apologize to Vada,_ Hal thought, but he couldn't well say it out loud. And...and Cinda and Rodmont were his friends. They'd been his friends long before he'd ever exchanged a single word with Vada Imilai.

If Rodmont was in trouble, then Hal owed it to him and Cinda to find out why, right? After talking to Rodmont, he could apologize to Vada.

"Please, Hal?" Cinda's voice softened, then she shook her head and snorted. "Why, oh why am I friends with two stupid boys like you? Neither of you can take care of your own shit."

"I certainly can." Hal stood up. "Okay, I'll go talk to Rodmont right now."

Cinda sagged in her chair, sighing in relief. "Thank you, Hal."

"Why don't you tell Rodmont you actually love him?" Hal said. "I think he feels the same about you."

Wasn't this rich, him of all people dispensing love advice. He remembered his long-ago love confession to Vada, and then the last thing he'd said. _You're a slut._ Hal's throat tightened.

"Roddy likes having sex with other girls too much," Cinda said, shrugging. "And I'd cry if I was stuck with him for the rest of my life."

"Open relationships are a thing, you know."

"Relationships are for people who can do commitment."

"But you care about Rodmont," Hal said, frustration rising inside him, "and he cares about you."

Wasn't that all that mattered, in the end? Whether it was love or friendship or something else. In his heart, no matter what awful things he had said, Hal still cared about Vada. That was why this was tearing him up on the inside. And he could see a similar misery on Cinda's face. He just didn't get why she couldn't admit to her obvious feelings.

Then again, Hal couldn't even put a name on what he felt. Why should he expect it of other people?

"If Roddy really cared about me," Cinda said bitterly, "he wouldn't be sulking like this. Now will you go or what?"

"I'm off, I'm off!" Hal closed the book and jumped to his feet.

So maybe he couldn't make things right between him and Vada, and he could never, ever make things right between him and Rayton. But at the very least, he might be able to fix the mess between Cinda and Rodmont.

It was the least the two of them deserved.

Rodmont lived in the same building as Hal, but on the ground floor in a room facing the small courtyard. Hal had to knock on the door six times before Rodmont finally opened it.

"Hey." Rodmont's voice was thick, like he'd been crying, though his eyes were dry. Then again, Crinari tears dried quickly. As soon as he let Hal in, he sat down on his bed and stared at the floor.

"What's the matter?" Hal said, sitting in Rodmont's desk chair without invitation. "Cinda is worried out of her head for you."

"Is she now?"

"Yeah," Hal said, impatient now. "So if you can't tell her what's wrong, can you tell me?"

"Cinda needs to find a nicer guy," Rodmont said. "I'm not good enough for her."

Hal had never expected to hear this sentiment from Rodmont, of all people. As far as he knew, Cinda and Rodmont were both people who were quite comfortable in their own skin, who never had any worries greater than thinking about what they might have for lunch tomorrow. But Hal had been wrong before. Shame squirmed inside him. Of course his friends were more complex than he thought. Who knew what was hiding inside anybody else's heart?

"You totally are," Hal said, wondering when he'd become deputized as a relationship counselor. "You're a great guy. If you weren't, Cinda wouldn't be so worried about you."

"She doesn't know what I really am."

"What, some grinjal-loving layabout who can't write a song lyric to save his life? I'd say Cinda has no problem with that. She's not the kind of girl who wants a high-powered beau."

"It's not like that." Rodmont kicked at the floor. The tip of his forked tongue appeared, licked his lips, before retreating. Then he got up and paced a full circle around his room before sitting back down.

"Rodmont?" Hal said, tentatively.

"I think I...I don't know what..." Rodmont shook his head. Then, as if he couldn't contain himself any longer, he whirled toward Hal. His eyes were wide and beseeching. "Hal, I know this sounds absolutely crazy, and I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't been there, but, but two nights ago, I - "

"You what?" Hal said, his skin prickling. _I'm a virgin! Don't tell me your sex woes!_

Not to mention, he had plenty of sex woes of his own.

"I..." Rodmont sucked in a deep breath, then laughed, short and hysterical. "I had sex with Vada Imilai."

"What." Hal felt like he'd been punched in the sternum. All the air whooshed out of his body.

"Look, look, I know it's nuts and all - I didn't even know the guy had a sex drive - " Rodmont held up his hands and waved them about as if conducting an invisible orchestra. "But I swear it - and it wasn't just me, it was the whole club. We were in the Scarlet Mansion doing the usual when he just showed up and, and got naked, and it just, it sort of happened?"

His words escaped in one big breathless rush. When he was done, he was panting and covered with sweat and looked as though he couldn't believe what he'd just said.

Hal, for his part, couldn't speak. Couldn't move. His head was buzzing. Vada had...Vada had gone and had sex with _Rodmont?_ Yes, he knew Vada was sexually active and had partners aside from him, but he'd never thought Vada's outside sex life would end up intersecting with his own life in this incredibly bizarre way. And worst of all, he could not tell Rodmont why this troubled him so much. Seriously, the guy was in no condition to hear _"Well, I already had sex with Vada four times."_

And also called him a slut, which made Vada hate him forever. Hal sweated and sweated.

"It was just...I don't know what happened." Rodmont shook his head, slowly at first, then faster and faster. "I shouldn't have done it."

Hal's skin prickled. "What do you mean?" he croaked. He had felt many things about sex with Vada, but regret had never been a part of it. He wouldn't trade all of their encounters for anything in the world.

"It just...Angel, this is just so _weird._ I mean, he's Vada Imilai, he's a _Saint._ But he was down there with all of us and saying shit about how he loved cocks, and I don't think it was all the grinjal." Another shake of his head. "What am I supposed to tell Cinda?"

"Cinda knows you have sex with tons of other people, so she won't care."

"But it's freakin' Vada Imilai! And honestly, honestly..." Rodmont rubbed his hand over his face. "I came out of there feeling like a total scumbag. It just didn't feel _right."_

"Okay, so you had a night of bad sex, does this mean you have to make Cinda worry?"

"It's not just that!" Rodmont burst out.

What was it? Hal's skin prickled. He sensed that Rodmont was on the precipice of telling him that Vada was an incubus, and in that case, how was Hal supposed to react? He had to feign surprise. But if Rodmont chose to hide it and never bring it up, Hal had to act like he didn't know too, couldn't let anything accidentally slip. Angel's sake, this was _hard._ Sweat pooled beneath Hal's collar. The room was way too hot and humid. Well, that was the way Crinari liked things, but Rodmont was sweating up a storm too.

"It's not just that," Rodmont repeated, quieter. "I don't know if he actually...I mean, he said no several times. He said no and stop, I heard him. Nobody...nobody stopped. I didn't even, I just kept going."

Rodmont's face crumpled in anguish. "I can't face Cinda, Hal. I think...I might have just raped somebody."

"No, you didn't," Hal said instantly. "Come on, Rodmont, that's absurd."

"He said no, though, and I didn't stop!"

"Rodmont..." Hal's mind whirled. He truly had no idea what to say, because by every metric, Rodmont was right. But still, _still,_ Hal refused to accept that one of his best friends was a rapist. Rodmont was different from some asshole like Rhys Feyler. Hal had to make him _see that._

"It's different," Hal said, "okay? I mean, there was grinjal involved, and you said there were a lot of you, and he has his pheromones and you're feeling guilty about it now, aren't you? You feel bad about it, so - so it's not like that, right?"

"I guess," Rodmont said, though he didn't sound convinced. "I just wish..." Then he looked at Hal, sharp and suspicious. "Wait. Did you say pheromones?"

_Oh, shit._

Had Hal said that? He hadn't really been paying attention, he'd just been babbling without thinking. _Damn it all!_

Rodmont's face scrunched up as his mind put the pieces together, and Ha's heart sank further and further. "Hold on...Hal...do you know that Imilai is an incubus?"

"I'm going to see him now," Hal announced.

"Hal..." Rodmont stared at Hal as if he'd never seen him before. And, Hal thought grimly, he never had. "Hal, have you - you and Imilai - "

"Going to see him," Hal said, even more loudly. "Bye now!"

"Hey, man, you can't just - "

Hal dashed to the door and slammed it shut after him. He ran down the hall and out the dorm, into the brilliant sunlight outside, and didn't stop. _Idiot, idiot, idiot,_ repeated in his mind like some desperate mantra. _Idiot!_

But he'd deal with the consequences later. For now, he needed - desperately needed - to see Vada.


	22. Chapter 22

Once again, Hal was standing outside Vada's room in the Scarlet Mansion. Once again, he knocked on the door and received no answer. Once again, he announced that he was going to sit out here all day until Vada let him in.

After a while, the door creaked open a fraction. "Come in," Vada said, and to Hal's surprise his voice was light, airy. He didn't sound angry or upset in the slightest, which only made Hal's apprehension grow.

Hal had imagined a million different ways this scene could go, most of them involving Vada being angry or frosty or absolutely determined to ignore him. Not..not inviting him in. Discontentment churning inside him, Hal entered the room.

Vada was standing by the table. He turned to cast Hal a a faint smile, and Hal's heart hammered when he saw that Vada's hair was down and he was wearing his black silk sleeping robe.

"Imilai," Hal said instantly, sinking to his knees. "I came here to apologize."

"For what?" Vada cocked an eyebrow. The smile still didn't leave his face. That soft, seductive smile. It stirred a funny heat in Hal's stomach, but Hal mercilessly forced it down.

"You know for what," Hal said. He still didn't get up. "For what I said to you. It was wrong of me. I'm sorry."

"Oh, when you called me a slut?" Vada said, then laughed, a strange light laugh unlike any Hal had ever heard from him before. "Why are you sorry?"

"What do you mean?" Now Hal was more confused than ever. "It was an awful thing to say."

Vada waved his hand carelessly. "But you were right."

"Wha - " Hal felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. "Hold on, Imilai - "

"I am a slut." The smile widened. Vada spread his arms, his robe sliding down his shoulders. "I love sex, I love being fucked, I cum at the drop of a hat. What do you call that besides a slut?"

"That - " Hal said furiously. The blood was throbbing in his head.

"Thank you, Thorner, for helping me see the light." Vada lifted a wineglass from the table, a mocking toast. "I understand now what I really am."

"No, that's wrong, Imilai," Hal said, fierce and passionate. He rose to his feet. "And you know it."

"Oh, it got so tiresome to pretend," Vada said, sighing. "In the end, I really am my father's son. Enough of all this Saint and Chosen One bullshit. I'm just an incubus who can't live without a cock in my ass."

"Imilai - "

"Come here, Thorner." Vada stalked closer, extending a hand toward Hal. "Come and enjoy yourself. You know it's what you truly want."

"It's not!" Hal said, backing off. But he couldn't seem to move fast enough. Soon, Vada was directly in front of him. He reached out, tracing the curve of Hal's jaw with his fingertips. His scent beat upon Hal, hot and sweet, and his markings began to twine across his pale skin.

To his shame, heat seared through Hal's veins. He pushed Vada away.

"Don't deny it," Vada whispered, smirking at Hal through lidded eyes. "You want it. And I'll give it to you. My body is yours for the taking, Hallert Thorner. Please give me the sex I so crave."

Damn him, _damn_ him, but Hal was responding to the soft seduction in Vada's words, his breathy whispers, the way his lips quivered. Desperately, Hal moved his hands down to his crotch, trying to hide his growing erection, but that just called Vada's attention to it. Vada's smirk widened and he grabbed Hal's wrist, pushed it aside, and gave Hal's cock a tremendous squeeze.

 _"Fuck!"_ Hal shouted before he could stop himself. His cock leaped beneath Vada's expert touch, and now Vada was rubbing and massaging it, and he was getting harder and harder...

Hal pushed at Vada's shoulders this time. "Stop, I said!"

"You want it," Vada said. "There isn't anybody in the world who doesn't desire me. I'm an incubus. It's what I live for."

With a single practiced motion, he shed his robe. Hal tore his eyes away, but too late. He'd seen Vada's lithe, muscular torso, his slender hips, his elegant long legs, and his hardening cock. It made Hal even harder.

"Imilai...you...even if you are an incubus...," Hal managed through gritted teeth, "you don't...don't always want it..."

"Of course I do. If you're referring to that time earlier, I was foolish," Vada said, stalking closer to Hal. "Still trying to cling to my silly pride, trying to deny the truth that my body already knew."

"You said no," Hal said. "When Rodmont and his friends - you said no. Rodmont thinks that he raped you."

Vada's eyes widened, just a fraction, but Hal welcomed it because it at least was a genuine reaction beneath this seduction performance. But then Vada's eyelids fell half shut again, and he shook his head with a little sigh.

"Your little Crinari friend told you? Well, he's wrong. I'm an incubus. I can't be raped."

"Of course you can!" Hal said furiously. "You said no, didn't you?"

"My mouth may say one thing, but my body is what speaks true. I cum no matter what is done to me. That's the definition of a slut, Thorner. Now please, help me out here..."

He closed the distance between himself and Hal, threw his arm around Hal's neck, and ground his cock against Hal's thigh. Hal gasped at the sensation of Vada stiffening against him, at the feeling of Vada's warm bare skin pressing against him. And Vada was flicking open the buttons of his jacket...

 _No, no, NO!_ This time Hal drove his elbow into Vada's chest. Vada fell to his knees and Hal quickly scampered backward. But he was still hard, still panting, still flushed with pleasure. Some traitorous part of him ached to feel Vada's skin again.

But he fought it with everything he had. "I told you before," Hal said, "that's a physiological reaction of your body. But your mind - if you don't like it in your mind, then you don't like it."

"I was just clinging to my pride. Now it's gone, and I can truly _indulge."_ Vada tossed his head back, dancing his fingertips down his chest. Hal hated how his cock twinged at the sight.

"Okay, if you were indulging, why did you say no?"

Vada shook his head a little. "I suppose I still have some vestiges of pride left. But soon I'll toss it aside altogether."

"I don't want you to," Hal said, clenching his hands into fists. "I _liked_ the prideful you. I don't like what I'm seeing right now."

"Of course. You just liked the contrast, like I said," Vada said, lightly brushing his lower lip with his fingertip. The tip of his tongue flicked out, brushing his finger. "You just liked seeing the pride break down and reveal my true self..."

"No," Hal said. He forced all of his conviction into the word, a fiery, hot conviction, burning even brighter than the pleasure searing through his entire body. A conviction as bright as a star. "I don't just like the contrast. I like the pride because it's the _real_ you, not this."

"Hmm?" Vada's eyelashes fluttered.

"The prideful Saint, Devotee, Chosen One, whatever, that's who you want to be. It's who you strive to be with everything you have. I like watching you try your best to live up to your ideals. I like your strength, I like your devotion to Ghestruel. I like how cool and commanding you are, but also how kind and helpful you can be too. I know it's not just a front."

"That's where you're wrong." Vada crawled closer to Hal, arching his back, lifting his ass. "That pride always gave way to my sluttiness in the end."

"I was _wrong,_ okay? When I called you a slut, I just - I was angry at you. I still don't know why you snuck into my room and broke my stuff, but I had no right to insult you like that."

"I told you already, you showed me my true self."

"And _I'm_ telling you that this isn't your true self! This is pathetic, Imilai. Even when we fucked before, you weren't this pathetic. You still had your pride. I don't like what you've become without it."

"Oh, I suppose it's no fun now the contrast's gone," Vada said. "My apologies. I suppose for your sake, I can put on the facade again? So you can break it, of course, dear Thorner."

"I don't want to break any part of you," Hal said, shaking from his anger. "I want to know the real you."

"This _is_ the real me." Vada crawled even closer. "Come and see. Give me a chance. Do whatever you want. Don't hold back. I guarantee that I'll cum. Whether it's vines, minotaurs, vibrators, spankings, women's clothes, bondage, whatever you name, no matter how degrading, I will cum. That's what it means to be a _slut."_

He raised his hips higher, and Hal tore his eyes from Vada's ass. His heart was hammering like it wanted to break out of his ribcage.

"Have people done all of those things to you?" Hal said, slow and cautious.

"I came every time, and I'll cum no matter what you to do me now. So _please,_ satisfy my needs and make me cum."

"Did you want them to do those things?" The star, the fire, the conviction - think of that instead, not this awful blasted pleasure. "Did you ask for it?"

"No, but what does it matter? Like I said, you can't rape an incubus."

"I don't care if you came or not. If you didn't want it, if you said no at any time, then it was rape. If I fuck you right now, I will be raping you too."

"What the hell? I'm begging for it, you moron. Oh, _please..."_ Vada's soft gasp sent the pleasure spiking higher. Hal was so hard by now, even the pressure of his pants and underwear around his cock had become unbearable.

But he would lose, he knew he would lose, if he gave any sign of his true desire to Vada. If he gave even the slightest indication that he wanted to give in.

"Because the real Vada Imilai would never, _never_ reduce himself to begging me for sex after I insulted him. His _pride_ wouldn't let him."

"That Vada Imilai is a front," Vada said.

"He is _not._ Okay, so you have an incubus' body and you react to sex like an incubus. But your mind isn't that of an incubus," Hal said. "Your mind can decide 'I hate this' or 'I don't want this.' You think that, consciously. So it's the _truth."_

"Whatever happens to me," Vada said, his voice low as he turned his eyes down, "is all my fault. Because of my pheromones...in the end, I'm the real rapist."

"Do you deliberately set out to use your pheromones when you have sex? Do you? Because if you have no control over it, then it's not your fault." Using all his willpower, all his effort, Hal forced himself to take a step closer. And closer.

A faint smirk flashed across Vada's face and he crawled forward. Hal tried not to watch the movement of his hips, or his ass raised invitingly.

"I'm hard right now," Hal said. "Your pheromones are affecting me. But I'm not going to fuck you. _I'm_ the one in control of myself. It's up to me what I do to you."

"Thorner, you don't know what you're saying," Vada said, but this time he sounded more uncertain, less seductive.

"I _do_ know. More than anything, I do. I came here to apologize to you. That's all I came here to do." Hal drew in a deep breath. Sweat prickled upon his skin. His legs felt weak, barely able to support his weight. He had to get out of here, soon. He didn't know how long his self-control would last.

"Why? _Why?"_ Vada shouted, his voice rising. "You told me the truth. Now do it, why bother playing this stupid resisting game, just give in to your instincts and do what you're supposed to do to an incubus! What everyone _else_ knows to do except for a complete and utter fool like you!"

Hal looked at Vada, long and hard, and he wasn't just seeing a naked, beautiful, inviting creature on the floor begging him for sex. He was seeing somebody who truly, in his heart, didn't understand what a _real_ relationship was supposed to be. Didn't understand why Rodmont and Cinda were both in so much pain right now. Didn't understand why Hal carried Rayton with him wherever he went.

And it wasn't because he was an incubus, it was because everyone had always _treated_ him like one. They had used him and abused him and seen him as a toy for their pleasure, and it made Vada think that was his only source of worth. It made Vada think that nobody could ever genuinely like him, or find him admirable, or even love him. That they could only relate to him through sex, through _rape,_ really.

And Hal himself had been guilty of it, hadn't he? When he'd accepted all the times Vada had offered a 'reward.' He'd had an inkling just how fucked up Vada was back then, but he'd never truly realized. Not until now.

"Imilai," Hal said. A deep breath. "Vada."

Vada's eyes snapped wide open. Hal swallowed. The taste of the name was still on his tongue, unfamiliar and thrilling.

"Vada," he said again. "I like and respect you more than anybody else here in the Centarium, and I like being your friend. I'm not going to ruin our friendship by having sex with you now. Good night."

He turned to go, but was stopped by a sharp gasp from Vada, then a low, broken little sob. Hal whipped back around, his heart slamming.

"Don't," Vada whispered to the floor, his entire body shaking. His hair had fallen before his eyes, hiding them from Hal's view, but Hal could see the tears trickling down his cheeks. "Don't...why do you have to be...why can't you be more like the others?"

"Because I don't want to hurt you anymore," Hal said. Tentatively, he took a step closer. Vada's scent beat upon his face, but it was a little more muted now.

Breathing a little more easily, Hal approached. He sank to his knees beside Vada, then reached out a trembling hand and rested it on Vada's shoulder. Vada twitched. A jolt of pleasure twisted Hal's cock, but he gritted his teeth. Forced it back. Thought of Rayton, Rayton walking away and Hal unable to do anything to save him.

"I'm not going to do anything to you," Hal said.

"You want to," Vada said dully. "You're hard."

"Too bad, I'll take care of that later. For now, I just...I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I d-don't." Vada gulped in a desperate breath, then the tears came harder. "I don't deserve..."

"Of course you do," Hal said, louder than he intended. He stroked a gentle circle on Vada's shoulder. "Of course you do."

"I'm an incubus. A demon. I'm just a toy for other people's pleasure."

"You're my friend," Hal said.

"The Angel will never - the Angel will never - I'm a mockery to - "

"I don't give a shit what the Angel thinks about you," Hal said with surprising force. "I think you're great."

Vada lifted his head, staring at Hal with wide, incredulous eyes. He blinked hard, his lower lip trembled, and the tears came harder and faster, and he wrapped his arms around himself as his entire body shook from silent sobs.

Hal didn't think. He threw his arms around Vada, pulled him close, buried his face in Vada's shoulder and breathed in his scent but it didn't stir his lust. He was past caring about whether he wanted to fuck Vada or not. For now, in this moment, all he wanted, all he needed -

Was to be there for someone who was hurting.

Vada went stiff, but then slowly, tentatively, returned Hal's embrace. His fingertips rested on Hal's shoulder blades as if he was afraid that Hal would break if he held him any tighter, but that didn't matter to Hal. He held Vada tighter, gently rocking him back and forth and humming a Rusaida lullaby, the first song his mother had sang to him.

"I'm sorry," Vada whispered into Hal's jacket. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"That's my line, idiot," Hal whispered back. "I hurt you. I won't do it again, I promise."

Vada hiccuped a brief laugh, startling Hal. "You know, if it came from anyone else, I wouldn't trust that promise. But you..."

Hal's heart leaped. Amazing how that one simple statement made his spirits soar so much, but it was proof, real proof, that Vada trusted him.

Since when had he wanted Vada to trust him? To think well of him?

From the very beginning, maybe. When he'd first thrown himself into his extra lessons and started making an actual effort. Back then he'd thought it was because he didn't want to give Vada more excuses to knee him in the dick, but maybe some part of him had genuinely hoped and wanted for Vada to find him admirable. To praise his effort. Some part of him hadn't wanted to look bad to Mr. Perfect. Had wanted to prove that he was more than just some idiot pervert of a virgin.

He could have easily ended up like Rhys Feyler, or Rodmont's group of low-life friends, or any of the others who regularly abused Vada. After having sex with Vada, he could have come to see Vada as some pathetic slut hiding behind the Mr. Perfect facade. Instead, he - he hadn't. He'd enjoyed the sex, true, but he'd never thought it was Vada's real self while everything else was fake. It was just another part of the complex slew of parts that made up Vada Imilai, and not even the most important.

From the very beginning, he'd wanted Vada's smiles, his praise, his respect, his friendship. His _everything._

Hal gripped the locket, but for the first time, he didn't feel like he was betraying Rayton.

He'd never gotten to tell Rayton his feelings. The feelings had remained unchanged all these years, but they were the feelings of a child. In contrast, whatever he felt for Vada was constantly shifting. From just pure lust to admiration to friendship to - to what he felt now, the overpowering wish, desire, to help Vada, to always stand by his side. To _save_ him.

"Vada," Hal said, gently patting Vada's back as his trembling quieted down. "Would you believe me now if I said I loved you?"

"I...I...my pheromones...," Vada said. He shifted a bit in Hal's grip. "You're hard right now, you know."

That was not exactly the reaction Hal expected to a love confession, but then again, Vada had surprised him the first time too. Hal sighed. "It has nothing to do with that, okay?"

"I know." Vada pushed at Hal's shoulders, and Hal got the signal and let go of him. Regret knifed through him, but it had nothing to do with a wish to bring Vada closer so they could fuck. He'd just wanted the moment to last longer, when they were together and nothing else seemed to matter...

Then Vada leaned forward, took Hal's chin in his hand, and kissed him.

Electric jolts shot down Hal's spine. All this time, every time they fucked, Vada had been adamant about not kissing. And now, now his lips were molding to Hal's, his tongue was probing between Hal's lips, and Hal didn't have to think; he parted his lips, letting Vada inside. Vada's taste flooded him, sweet like plums and blazing hot. Hal moaned into Vada's mouth.

Vada leaned closer, deepening the kiss, and Hal reached out and rested his hands in Vada's hair, gently tugging the soft black strands. He pushed his tongue against Vada's, and they grappled for a moment before Vada ceded the dominance to him, let Hal into his mouth.

Now Hal was surrounded in Vada's heat and taste and it was making his head swim. He pushed Vada down onto the floor, knelt over him and kissed him harder, more desperately, probing his tongue everywhere in Vada's mouth. His entire body shook when Vada rubbed their tongues together.

Hal only broke apart because he wanted air, but then he dove back in for a deeper, hungrier kiss. Vada's hands were on his jacket, undoing the buttons, pulling open his shirt. Then sliding lower, to the waistband of his pants...

"Wait, wait," Hal gasped as he surfaced from their latest kiss. "Vada, are you sure, are you sure you - "

Vada's golden eyes pinned him in place. Not lidded with seduction, or clouded with pleasure, but as bright and sharp as they had been that day when Vada had first spoken to him, when the scores of the all-Centarium exam had been unveiled.

"Hal," Vada said, "I have never been more certain."

"Okay." Hal gulped. Hearing his name spoken in Vada's low whisper sent a tingle down his spine. "But at any point if you think it's too much, if you want me to stop, just tell me and I will."

"I know," Vada said. Then he pulled down Hal's pants.

Hal's cock burst free of the constricting fabric, hot and throbbing and already slick with precum. Hal moaned aloud as Vada took it in his hand and tugged on it, once, twice. Fire shot through Hal's entire body.

"Oh Angel - "

"Don't blaspheme, loser."

"Sorry, sorry, oh, _ah!"_ as Vada let go. Madly, ineffectually, Hal thrust his hips forward, trying to get his cock back into Vada's hand. Vada laughed and then lifted his thighs and spread his legs, exposing his quivering, already wet entrance.

Hal's cock grew even harder. Even so, he tried to pull back from the tide of pleasure threatening to engulf him. "Are you sure - "

"I certainly hope you aren't going to ask that every step of the way, because it would be boring as _shit."_ With that bald pronouncement, Vada tossed his head back and spread his legs wider.

Sucking in a deep breath, Hal followed through on the invitation. He shuffled closer to Vada, put his hands around Vada's waist, and pushed his cock forward. It slid easily into the entrance, and Hal moaned at the familiar sensation of Vada's slick, tight insides clenching around his cock.

"Oh, ahh, G-Great Ghestruel," Vada gasped, tossing his head back.

"I thought you said not to blaspheme," Hal teased as he pushed deeper inside.

"Sorry, you're right, ah, I - " Vada bit the back of his hand, trying to hold in his moans, and Hal didn't think there could be a cuter sight. This was the first time he'd ever seen Vada's face while he was inside, and he loved how red Vada had become, how his lips quivered.

Hal began thrusting, falling into a regular rhythm. He easily moved inside the wet passage, and each time he slammed down on Vada's prostate he felt more lubricant leak out, coating his entire cock. Vada jerked his hips in time with Hal's rhythm, drawing him even deeper inside. His back arched, his body rising into a perfect curve, and Hal had never seen a more beautiful sight in his life.

He leaned down over Vada, gently pressed his mouth to Vada's chest and sucked on the sweet, soft skin, leaving behind a little red hickey at the end of one of Vada's markings. Then higher, tracing the markings with more kisses, until he reached Vada's left nipple. He took it in his mouth, massaging it with his tongue, and Vada sobbed aloud.

"M-more, please, more, more, harder, more, Hal, more, please, _Hal - "_ Oh, such music he could make with his voice, and each time he said Hal's name a little thrill jumped down Hal's spine.

Hal leaned even further, pushing his cock insistently against Vada's prostate, then captured Vada's lips in a fierce kiss. Vada moaned into Hal's mouth and kissed him back, molding his soft full lips around Hal's, and his taste, his heat, the warmth and wetness inside, became too much for Hal. With a low groan, Hal sank his fingers deep into Vada's hips and came.

"Nhh! Ahh!" Vada cried out, writhing, as Hal's cum flooded his insides. Hal moaned at the sudden burst of hot liquid and came even more. Some of it splashed out onto Vada's twitching thighs.

And more spilled out as Hal pulled out, dazed and satisfied. Although Vada apparently wasn't. He shot Hal a reproachful glare. "S-stupid virgin. I'm not done yet."

Sure enough, his cock was stiff and pressed to his stomach. Guilt knifed through Hal. "Sorry, I just - it just felt too good. You were even wetter inside than usual."

He was babbling, and he knew it. Vada laughed, short and mirthless. "And you're such an expert on how wet I usually get, aren't you?"

"I could tell," Hal insisted, digging himself into a deeper hole. "Sorry, look, I'll - "

And he ducked his head down over Vada's cock.

"Oh!" Vada jerked in surprise, and more of his cock slid into Hal's mouth. Hal wrapped his lips around the head, testing the unfamiliar sensation of the hot, throbbing flesh inside his mouth. It wasn't bad, he decided. It tasted good, sweet like Vada. And it was secreting hot liquid. Hal slowly ducked down on Vada's length, taking as much as could fit in his mouth, which was only about half of it. Nonetheless, he began to suck, running his tongue along the sides of the shaft.

"Ah! _Oh,_ Hal, Hal, mhh that - that - "

Hal lifted himself from Vada's cock. "Should I stop?"

"K-keep going, keep going," Vada panted.

Hal eagerly accepted the invitation. This time, as he sucked, Vada's entire body convulsed and cum flooded Hal's mouth.

The sudden surge of liquid startled Hal, and its taste wasn't like he was expecting, salty and sour. Sputtering, he let go of Vada's cock. Cum dripped down his chin.

"Sorry, uh, sorry," he gasped as he wiped the cum.

"Did you try to _swallow_ it?" Vada hauled himself up by one elbow, staring at Hal with wide-eyed incredulity.

"No, no." Hal coughed more cum onto his hand. "Sorry."

"Idiot. Come here."

Before Hal could protest, Vada grabbed Hal's wrist and bent down over his hand and licked up the cum staining his palm and fingers. "Whoa!" Hal gasped at the sensation of Vada's expert tongue rubbing his skin.

"There you go," Vada said, smirking at Hal as he wiped cum from his lips. "I suppose you don't have much experience with this, do you, virgin?"

"We can't all be perfect like you," Hal said, still choking on the last of the cum. Then, he looked carefully at Vada and said, "How are you feeling?"

"I, uh..." Vada ran a hand through his hair. As he sat up, cum dribbled from his hole; Hal tried not to look. "I feel good."

"Sorry," Hal said. "I said I wasn't going to fuck you, but I ended up..."

"Oh, come on. If I regretted it, I would tell you." Vada smirked, and Hal's heart leaped to see his old imperious charm back. Yes, this _was_ the real Vada, not the pathetic seductive creature Hal had encountered earlier.

"Vada, I love you," Hal said again, more confidently now.

"Your dear Rayton doesn't mind?" Vada indicated the locket.

"Oh." Hal tightened his grip on the locket. "Rayton's dead. And I never told him what I felt."

"I see." Vada's voice became soft. "Well, I'm sure Rayton wants you to be happy."

"I'm sure, too. Vada, do you, I mean, do you feel like I do?"

Vada's mouth twitched. He raked his hand through his hair, making it stand up a bit. "I don't...I don't know. Is that okay? I don't know what love is."

Hal nodded, trying to suppress the bitter bite of disappointment inside him. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Vada had spent his entire life being used and abused, had come to see sex as an obligation or reward he owed other people. He wouldn't be able to change that easily, and he had every right to give it time before he came to grips with his own feelings.

So Hal told himself, but still...

He shook his head to clear it. "That's okay," he said.

"You're not happy," Vada observed.

"I'm happy if you are," Hal said, and that much was true.

"Sorry, Hal, I..." Vada's hand slipped lower, covering his eyes. "I would get on my knees and say that I love you and your nice big thick dick, but you wouldn't buy it, would you?"

"I don't want that," Hal said firmly. "I'm glad - I'm glad the real you is back."

"I'm glad too," Vada said, drawing his knees to his chest. "You're right, I'm - I didn't enjoy it, really. I really did want them to stop. I just thought because I'm a slut, I shouldn't."

"You're not a slut."

"I know that now."

The two smiled at each other. Hal's heart felt like it was about to burst. Unable to take it, he leaned forward and pulled Vada into another kiss.


	23. Chapter 23

Hal's spirits were buoyant as he left the Scarlet Mansion, but steadily sank with each step he took closer to his own dorm. Because while it had been great to finally confess his true feelings to Vada, he'd also happened to reveal another truth to Rodmont. And there was no damn way Rodmont would let it go.

Sure enough, as Hal climbed up the staircase, he saw Rodmont waiting for him at the entrance to his room. But Hal's stomach didn't truly flip until he saw Pency on Rodmont's shoulder, her expression as solemn as Hal had ever seen it.

 _Shit._ Had Rodmont gone and blabbed to Pency?

"Hey, Hal," Rodmont said, crossing his arms. "We need to talk."

"Okay," Hal said, putting on a grin even though his heart wasn't into it at all. "But can we do it inside?"

"That's the plan." Rodmont opened the door behind him. Hal started to regret his long-ago decision to give his friends copies of his room key.

The instant they went inside, Rodmont started pacing circles. It made Hal dizzy. Hal sat down on the bed, deciding that at least he could relax his body during this most tense of conversations.

"So," Rodmont said after what felt like an eternity of pacing. "How long have you known Imilai was an incubus?"

"Uh," Hal said. "How long have you?"

Rodmont's face spasmed. "Don't be cute, you moron. I've known since three days ago."

Well, it looked like Hal's deflecting attempts were not going to work. Even so, Hal tried another angle. "Why didn't you stop?"

"Look, man," Rodmont sputtered, "he was just - I mean, I couldn't think. I know that's not an excuse, but, but, it was just - "

"That's why you shouldn't be buzzed on grinjal when you're having sex, just a thought."

"Shut the fuck up!" Rodmont looked angry enough to hit, though Hal knew he could easily take that weak nerd. He'd been paired with Rodmont enough times in sparring practice back when Rodmont had been an Enforcer. "And will you quit dodging the question? _How long have you known?"_

Hal coughed, sweat rolling down his temples. Here it came. He couldn't avoid it anymore. "Well, you know that time when we got detention together..."

Rodmont's eyes rounded. Pency let out a shocked squeak. "That long?" Rodmont said.

"Yeah..." Hal rubbed the back of his head. For some reason, he didn't think it had been that long ago, but in reality it had been almost three months ago, hadn't it? Long before the term break, shortly after Hal had failed that first all-Centarium exam. Those three months felt like a whirlwind. A beautiful dream.

"How did you end up fucking in the Armor Vault?" Rodmont looked like he was reevaluating everything he'd ever thought of Hal. "No offense, Hal, but I thought you were a virgin. And straight."

"I - I was a virgin at the time. It just, I mean, it was an accident."

"What, did you fall and accidentally stick your dick in his ass or something?"

It took all of Hal's effort not to hit Rodmont. "No! There was a potion. I broke it and spilled it on him and it sort of, it made him want to feed. So I, uh, I helped him out."

"So he didn't come on to you," Rodmont said.

"No way, man. Back then, he probably would have killed me before he ever tried to ask me for sex."

"But he, he's had sex with you since then, hasn't he?"

"Fuck's sake, Rodmont!" Hal exploded. "You want me to detail every encounter I've ever had with him? Would you like to hear that, Pency?"

Pency began to cry. Rodmont, being fairly insensitive to her moods, didn't try to comfort her. Hal snatched her off Rodmont's shoulder and patted her soft, squishy head, muttering apologies.

Eventually Pency quieted, and Rodmont sprang back with the questions. "Look, I'm sorry about that. I just - why didn't you _tell_ me or Cinda?"

"Do you jerks go around telling people about _your_ sex lives?"

"It's different! It's Vada Imilai, and he's an incubus - "

"He's more than that," Hal said, anger simmering in him anew.

"Huh?" Rodmont's eyes rounded. And even he, as emotionally obtuse as he was, seemed to have caught something in Hal's tone, for he said, soft and disbelieving, "Hal...wait a minute...do you...are you and him...?"

"I," Hal said, "am in love with him, yeah."

There. He'd said it to someone else. Hal's head spun. Nothing, none of this, was turning out anything like he imagined.

"Are you sure?" Rodmont said. "I mean, he is an incubus. He could be...his pheromones..."

"I know it's not the pheromones," Hal said, sharp and emphatic. "I love him for who he is, not _what."_

"Nuts." Rodmont breathed out, shook his head. "This is completely nuts."

Pency's eyes welled with tears. "Hal...you really are in love with Vada!"

Hal coughed. No doubt she was conjuring up some romantic fantasies in her mind, but the truth was much darker and more complicated. Hal had hurt Vada too, and Vada had hurt him, and all the love in the world wasn't going to change the fact that other people only saw an incubus, and could still use and abuse him.

At least, though...Hal might be able to do one small thing to make Vada's life better.

"I am," he said, stroking Pency's head. "I know that for sure. And because I love him, I don't want anyone to hurt him."

"I'm sorry, Hal," Rodmont blurted. "I just - I had no idea. I really, I really, if I'd known - "

"So it'd take you knowing that I was in love with him to keep you from raping him?" The furious question escaped Hal's lips before he could stop himself.

Rodmont flinched like he'd been slapped. "No, it - I just, I was just thinking about if it was Cinda, and someone did that to her..."

"For fuck's sake, asshole, tell her you love her!"

"I don't wanna hear that from you," Rodmont said, curling his hands into fists. Not that his weak-ass punches would do anything to Hal.

"Well, I did tell Vada."

"Wow." Rodmont sat down in Hal's desk chair. He crossed and uncrossed his ankles, picked at the front of his jacket. "Hal, I seriously had no idea you could be smoother than me. No offense, but you're the least smooth guy in the Centarium."

"Look in the mirror," Hal shot back.

"Anyway, oh, I..." Rodmont pressed his hands to his forehead, groaning. "I just...I can't believe you're not angrier at me. I swear, if you did that to Cinda, I'd genuinely want to kill you."

"Well, you know it was wrong, didn't you?" Hal said. "That's enough, for now."

And honestly, though it hurt so much to think this way, Vada was so used to being mistreated that he probably hadn't thought that his rape at the philosophy club's hands was anything special.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Rodmont groaned. "I'm sorry, Hal."

"Just, can you promise me one thing?" Hal stepped a little closer to Rodmont. "Promise me that if Vada comes to your damn club again, you _stop them._ Stop them from hurting him."

Rodmont flinched. "I, I don't know, Hal. They're my friends, they're ninth years..."

"If it was Cinda," Hal began, fury rising in him anew.

"It - I mean, he's an incubus. It's harder...shit, I sound like such an awful person, don't I?" Rodmont rubbed at his forehead. "I, I don't want them to hate me, Hal."

"So you'd rather I hated you."

"No!" Rodmont said, so loudly Pency flinched.

"Then it's a choice between making them hate you and making me hate you."

Rodmont shook his head a little, chuckled under his breath. "That's not a choice, Hal. You were my friend long before I met any of that lot. If it...if it makes you happy, then I'll do my best. Besides, I - I don't want to hurt another person that way again."

"Thank you." A lump rose in Hal's throat. And with it came a sickening rush of shame. All those times he'd thought Cinda and Rodmont were fair-weather friends - he'd been so unkind to them. He was always underestimating them.

When in reality, they were the truest friends he'd ever made.

"Hal?" Pency flapped in front of him. "Are you going to cry?"

"No!" Hal swiped at her, but she dodged out of his reach and landed on Rodmont's shoulder. Rodmont grinned.

"Hallert Thorner, in love with Saint Vada Imilai. It's a bit insane, isn't it? I guess I should say congratulations."

"Congratulate yourself up your ass!" Hal yelled most nonsensically, which earned a chortle from Rodmont and a tirade about cursing from Pency. Hal responded by flopping onto the bed and sticking his fingers in his ears. Not the most mature reaction, but he'd already had way too long a day. Who said he couldn't give in to the stress a little?

But even as Rodmont and Pency made noise that was muffled by the fingers in his ears, Hal had to bite back the giggle bubbling in his throat. _Still._ This confrontation had turned out far better than he'd thought it would, and now he knew that he had at least one other person on his side. A close friend.

Maybe, like this, he stood a better chance of giving Vada the help he needed.

* * *

Vada walked into the Lord Superior Hierophant's office feeling curiously light, as though freed of a burden he hadn't realized he'd been carrying.

The last time he'd been here, he'd teased the Lord Superior Hierophant the entire time, moaned and writhed and put on a good show for Hierophants Shell and Pember. But it had only been the semblance of power. A sham. He'd known it all along, but still behaved that way because he thought it was the way a slut ought to be.

But Thorner - Hal - had apologized. More than that, he'd said he...

 _Love?_ Vada didn't want to believe it. It was impossible to love an incubus. He'd held this belief deep in his heart for all these years, and not even Hal's beautiful confession and kind words could be enough to dislodge it. It was the pheromones, it had to be, but - but Hal had resisted. He plainly had. And he'd told Vada words that were completely foreign, yet made so much sense.

_I don't care if you came or not. If you didn't want it, if you said no at any time, then it was rape._

He'd always told himself that he enjoyed it because he came, but that never explained why he felt so filthy, so violated every time. Hal's words gave him a curious sense of power, far less ephemeral than the high he'd gotten from pretending to be a slut. It was nice to be able to finally put a name on that feeling of violation.

 _Rape._ Today, like every day, he was going to get raped.

But he still didn't fully want to accept it. There was that insistent voice in the back of his head telling him that his body enjoyed it and he came so it could not possibly be rape, and then there was another part of him, stronger, the part of him that wanted to be the Chosen One, telling him that there was no way he could be so pathetic, so weak, to let himself get raped every day. If he did, he was not strong enough to serve Ghestruel. Wasn't it better to believe this was of his own volition?

By the time Vada got off the medusid, he was shivering. He hoped this would be quick. Forgettable.

But dread welled deep inside him when he saw that the Lord Superior Hierophant was alone.

Not long ago, Vada would have welcomed the sight. The Lord Superior Hierophant never fucked him, after all, and would usually make Vada touch himself or take a vibrator. But that enema had changed quite a lot of Vada's expectations. Sweat stung the back of Vada's neck. It took all his effort to sink into a bow before the desk.

"Lord Superior Hierophant," he mumbled to the carpet. "How may I be of service?"

"Stand, Saint Vada Imilai."

Vada obeyed.

He approached the desk, shedding his cape. Then his hands moved to his jacket, but to his surprise the Lord Superior Hierophant held out a hand to stop him.

"Pull down your pants and bend over the desk," said the Lord Superior Hierophant.

Vada hesitated for a moment, and the Lord Superior Hierophant repeated the order, sharper this time.

Swallowing hard, Vada followed the unusual order and let his pants drop before bending over the desk. In this position, his ass was raised and bared while the rest of him was still clothed, making him feel more vulnerable than usual.

Judging by the sound of swishing robes, the Lord Superior Hierophant was moving behind him. Vada fought the mad, desperate urge to turn around so he could see. Whatever the Lord Superior Hierophant had in store, it would be a surprise. An unpleasant one.

At least Vada could try to make it easier. He spread his legs, exposing his hole, even as he hated himself the entire way. Then the Lord Superior Hierophant's voice swept over him like an icy wind. "Stop."

"S-sir?" Vada said, surprised.

"I have had it with your pathetic seduction attempts," the Lord Superior Hierophant thundered. "Your behavior as of late has been sickening and unconscionable for a Saint."

Vada's stomach turned. He knew the Lord Superior Hierophant had been steadily running out of patience with his seduction games, but he hadn't imagined it would come this soon. "Please, sir...," he began, though he wasn't sure how to finish the sentence.

In any case, the Lord Superior Hierophant didn't seem to have any interest in what he had to say. "Furthermore," he said, his voice quivering in rage, "I have heard tell that you have been having sex with random students at night."

Vada's spine stiffened. Dread hammered a war beat in his chest. Where had the Lord Superior Hierophant heard _that?_ But then - of course he would have. He was only the Lord Superior Hierophant, the supreme ruler of the Centarium.

"You are revealing your secret in unsanctioned venues to unsanctioned people." The fury in the Lord Superior Hierophant's voice made Vada tremble. "Your carelessness threatens to undo _years_ of work."

"My," Vada whispered, low and seductive. "You are certainly a possessive man, Lord Superior Hierophant, sir."

He didn't know what he was aiming at, needling the Lord Superior Hierophant - just that he'd fallen into the habit while pretending to be a slut, and it did give him at least the tiniest illusion that he had some manner of control over the proceedings. Just the illusion.

The Lord Superior Hierophant drew in a hissing, rattling breath, but to Vada's surprise didn't strike him. Yet. "This is not a game, incubus. I only allow those I trust and approve of to know your secret for good reasons. If it comes out that you, the future Chosen One, are in fact an incubus, do you understand the damage it would do to the Centarium's reputation?"

"How do you even know I'm the future Chosen One, sir?" Vada murmured. "Are you a Sublime Vocalist? Has Ghestruel spoken to you?"

"It has to be you," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "There can be no other."

Vada squirmed a bit. This position, bent in half over the desk, was starting to get uncomfortable. Even so, he still wanted to question the Lord Superior Hierophant further. "Why does it have to be me, sir?"

"You are the greatest student the Centarium has seen in centuries. I cannot deny it," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "Even if you are an incubus. This arrangement was developed so that you would be able to feed in secrecy. Now you are trying to jeopardize it. Understand? If you need to feed, you may come to me or Hierophants Pember and Shell at any time. You do not need to waste your time with failures and grinjal addicts."

It was true that the morning sessions fed Vada enough sexual energy to get through his days; all the other sex he'd only started in order to live up to his status as a slut. Not that the Lord Superior Hierophant would ever know that, let alone understand it.

"You still do not seem to understand the gravity of your foolish actions," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "So I will have to punish it into you."

"Punish, sir?" Vada arched his back, lifted his ass. "I can't wait. Is it another enema? Ah, I'll cum so hard if you - "

Something tapped his ass. Something long and thin and hard. Despite himself, Vada whipped around to see it. The Lord Superior Hierophant held a long rattan cane in his hand.

Vada's eyes flew wide open. Rhys was the one who liked spankings; he hadn't known that was the Lord Superior Hierophant's interest too.

"This," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, "used to be a common method of discipline at the Centarium. It has fallen out of fashion these days, but I believe it will only be appropriate to teach you your place. Get back in position, head down. You will take fifteen for your foolish and defiant behavior."

"Is, is that all?" Vada asked, startled. "You're not going to put a vibrator in me or fuck me with that thing or - "

The Lord Superior Hierophant's brow furrowed. "Turn around."

Vada obeyed, though misgivings were still squeezing his heart. Punishments, all punishments, had a sexual component. He'd gotten used to that. This seemed like it would be a straightforward beating, which he just didn't understand.

And he didn't have time to understand before he heard a telltale whoosh of air, then a crack as the cane fell across his ass. At first Vada didn't feel anything - then the pain hit, a searing line across both cheeks. He stiffened, gasping out loud.

"Count," said the Lord Superior Hierophant.

"One!" Vada called. He barely had time to catch a breath before the cane fell again, this time striking the tender area where his buttocks met his thighs.

Over and over again the cane landed across his ass and thighs, raising blazing lines of pain in its wake, but the pain wasn't so terrible that Vada couldn't keep count. Truthfully this wasn't as bad as any of Rhys' spankings, and far less humiliating at that.

Not to mention, with each ferocious blow, a twinge of pleasure shot through his cock. Soon Vada was angling his ass back to meet the cane, and his gasps weren't just from pain anymore.

The tip of the cane prodded his asshole, startling him. The Lord Superior Hierophant's voice was heavy with disgust. "So wet. There is nothing sexual about this punishment, filthy demon."

Vada begged to differ; he was half naked with his ass in the air. And pain and pleasure had always been closely intertwined for him anyway. _Slut,_ whispered Hal's voice in his head, but another, louder voice drowned it out. _Your mind isn't that of an incubus. Your mind can decide 'I hate this' or 'I don't want this.' It's the truth._

All thought fled when the cane landed again, harder this time. "S-seven," Vada cried out, and his cry turned into a whimper when again the tip of the cane brushed his hole.

Soon, the Lord Superior Hierophant was touching his hole after every stroke, and Vada only got harder and wetter. He moaned, trying to rub his cock against the desktop. Which earned an even harder blow, making him jump.

"Vada Imilai, you demonic whore," snarled the Lord Superior Hierophant, "you may behave in this manner, true to your nature, when you are around me. When you are in this office. But anywhere else, and with anyone else, you absolutely _must not._ Is that understood?"

Another crack of the cane, this time low down his thighs, and Vada groaned out, "Ten!"

"Is that understood?"

"Y-yes, yes, sir!"

But the Lord Superior Hierophant didn't know about Hal. That thought alone gave Vada the strength to take the rest of the caning, even as each stroke hurt more and more and he could feel the skin beginning to swell and bruise. Hal was his own secret. Hal, who said he loved Vada, who told Vada words that nobody else had ever told him before.

Through this, through everything, Vada would hold Hal close to his heart. And Hal would give him strength.

At last Vada gasped out, "F-fifteen," and when the cane touched his dripping hole this time, he couldn't take it anymore; he pushed his ass backward, letting the tip of the cane slide inside, and his orgasm rushed upon him in one blow, stiffening his spine. He shuddered and gasped, digging his nails in the surface of the wood as his legs shook and liquid gushed down his thighs.

 _My body wants this,_ he thought madly. _It's a physiological reaction. I don't actually - I don't -_

"I do believe that's the first time a student at the Centarium came from a caning," the Lord Superior Hierophant said dryly, but also with a heavy tinge of disgust. "Truly, there are no limits to your depravity, Vada Imilai."

Vada collapsed against the desk, gasping for breath. Already doubt was creeping upon him, brushing away Hal's words from last night. The Lord Superior Hierophant was right; there wasn't anything inherently sexual about this punishment. Yet he'd came anyway, just as much as if the Lord Superior Hierophant had actually fucked him.

His body craved sex that badly, huh.

He squeezed his eyes shut, tears stinging his eyelashes. Maybe Hal was wrong about him after all. And he only clung to Hal's words because it was wishful thinking.

"Good." The Lord Superior Hierophant's voice seemed to drift from far away. "It's fine if you cum here. Do not ever give in to your weakness anywhere else. Is that understood, Saint Vada Imilai?"

Vada nodded slowly.

Then a heavy, papery hand rested atop his hand, carding through the spikes. Vada froze, holding his breath. It wasn't as if the Lord Superior Hierophant never touched him, but he rarely touched in such an intimate - almost gentle - way.

A few more strokes of his head, and the hand retreated. Vada let loose his breath.

"Go clean yourself up in the shower," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "Then get dressed and go to class. You have been fed, so do not attempt to seduce me further."

"I understand, sir," Vada whispered as he lifted himself from the desk. He yanked his pants up, trying not to hiss in pain as the cloth brushed his sore and tender ass and thighs, and staggered to the bathroom.

It hadn't been a bad punishment, especially not compared to the last one he'd received from the Lord Superior Hierophant, but he still felt like he needed to shower for a long, long time to get rid of the sensation of the man's hand on his head.


	24. Chapter 24

At the very least, Vada could stop these extracurricular sex sessions without much regret. In the end, they had all been a performance, and each one had left him feeling more degraded than the last. If not even worse than his morning sessions, because he'd kept telling himself that he _had_ to enjoy this because he was a slut.

Maybe he was. Only a slut could have had an orgasm from getting beaten with a cane, yet every time Vada's mind turned toward such thoughts, Hal's words whispered in his ears. It was a physiological reaction because he was an incubus, but his mind wasn't that of an incubus.

Hal had...Hal had said those things because he loved Vada. _Loved._

The thought was so frightening Vada wanted to run from it, run as far as he possibly could. It was _wrong._ Some part of him still wanted to insist that Hal had just been running off lust, had been manipulated by the pheromones. But then, Hal had resisted. He hadn't fallen for Vada's seductions when anyone else would have.

Vada could acknowledge Hal as a man with true honor. He could do that much. But could he really return Hal's feelings?

Love. He'd never thought that he would ever love anybody. An incubus could not love. It would all be fake, manipulation - except it _wasn't_ with Hal. Hal was brave, fierce, and kinder than anyone Vada had ever known. He'd seen Vada's true self, and it hadn't chased him away. Had only made him love Vada deeper.

It was more than Vada could ask for, and it terrified him.

Even so, after classes were done, Vada sent a letter to Hal anyway, requesting a meeting in the abandoned tower. The same place where they'd gotten into their first fight, so long ago. If he could just see Hal again, maybe he could clear his head. Maybe he could come to terms with what he really felt.

If he decided he loved Hal, what would it mean? Nothing would change. He'd still have to go to the Lord Superior Hierophant every morning. And he'd have one more secret to hide from the man, and all the other men who tormented him.

Maybe...maybe he could tell Hal...

No. Absolutely not. If Vada really loved Hal, he couldn't draw Hal deeper into his own mess. If the Lord Superior Hierophant found out -

Vada didn't want to finish the thought.

When he walked into the topmost floor of the building, dim and piled with abandoned armor, he saw that Hal was already there. "Oh, hey." Hal turned toward him with a dazzling smile, his Rusaida braids swinging.

"Hal," Vada began, not sure what he intended to say. He felt strange, awkward. Some part of him wanted to leave.

"How are you feeling?" Hal asked, and the concern in his voice made Vada's heart twist painfully. _I don't deserve this, this has to be a dream..._

He was an incubus. A demon. Why would anybody look upon him kindly?

"Does it bother you at all," Vada said, lowering his head, "that I'm an incubus?"

"Huh? Why're you asking this now? If it bothered me, I wouldn't be here, right?"

"I just...you say you love me. But I'm a demon. By nature, I am an enemy of the Nations Under the Angel's Arms. _Your_ enemy."

Hal's nose twitched. "That's too abstract."

"Come again?"

"I mean, it's an abstract concept. The nations that are our allies and the nations that are our enemies, whatever, it's too big to grasp. But I know you, Vada. I know you as a person, and there's no way I can call you an enemy."

Vada hung his head further, feeling sick, wondering when this beautiful dream had to come to an end.

"You're proud and beautiful and brave and you love Ghestruel with all your heart," Hal continued, that familiar conviction back in his voice, making Vada shiver. "If you're supposed to be an enemy, then fine, I'll call _them_ my enemy."

Vada's head snapped up. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I may be stupid, Mr. Perfect, but I know what I feel, what I believe, about this one thing." Hal stepped forward, closing the distance between them. He reached out his hand and Vada leaned closer to his touch, letting Hal's fingertips skim his cheek.

Hal's touch was so warm. Not burning like Thelm Ruever's, but a gentle warmth. Everything about this boy was so gentle. Yet it didn't make him soft. Vada could see the conviction blazing in his dark eyes now, and it was the hard, fierce conviction of a warrior.

Vada didn't want to look into Hal's eyes anymore. So he bent down and pressed his lips to Hal's.

That first time, he'd kissed Hal almost on an impulse. Now he let himself enjoy it, sucking gently on Hal's lips, tasting his flavor, smoky and faintly grassy at the same time. Then Hal lifted himself higher, wrapping a hand around the back of Vada's neck, and pushed his tongue into Vada's mouth. Vada moaned into Hal's mouth as their tongues rubbed, and he wrapped his own arms around Hal's back, drawing Hal closer.

When they broke apart, Hal pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, then lower, tracing the line of his jaw. Vada sank to his knees and threw his head back, giving Hal more room to work.

Hal concentrated on sucking and nipping at his throat, each little bite making Vada gasp. For a virgin, he was surprisingly good at this; the sensation of his tongue moving against the sensitive skin was enough to send little twinges of heat through Vada's cock.

Soon Hal's hands found the clasp of Vada's cape. Before he undid it, though, Hal pulled away and asked in a low whisper, "Can I?"

Vada nodded. Hal planted another kiss on his chin and undid his cape, before moving to his jacket.

"Hal," Vada asked quietly after Hal stripped off his shirt and jacket, "can I - you, can I also?"

As he spoke, he felt himself redden from embarrassment, which rather distressed him. After everything he'd done, everything he'd been through, _this_ was proving too much for him? Even so, he'd never had any cause to make such a request before. Very rarely did the men fucking him ever take off their own clothes, and if they did, they didn't let him do it.

But Hal grinned, slow and lazy, and said, "Go right ahead."

Vada's hands shook as he got to work on Hal's uniform. Markings were already twining across his skin, darkening as he undid the buttons. This felt - it felt so different. More...equal. Hal wasn't just a man fucking him; Hal was a partner.

Vada swallowed hard as he pulled Hal's jacket off, revealing the younger student's surprisingly toned torso. He was more muscular than Vada, even, and as Vada traced his fingertips down Hal's abdomen, he watched the muscles shift and tighten.

"What do you think?" Hal said, grinning.

Vada smiled at him with lidded eyes. "Not bad...for a virgin."

"What are you talking about? That has nothing to do with being a virgin," Hal huffed. "I work out, you know."

"I can tell." Struck by a mischievous impulse, Vada leaned close to Hal's chest and flicked his tongue over Hal's nipple. Something so many people had done to him, but he'd never done to another person. He felt the dark brown bud stiffen in his mouth, and he sucked on it gently, making Hal groan.

"Oh, Angel, Vada, that feels - "

"For fuck's sake, quit blaspheming."

"But it feels so good." Hal's breath hitched as Vada moved his mouth lower, tracing his tongue along the hard contours of Hal's muscles. "I swear, this has to be something holy."

" _This?_ You are absolutely insane."

"When I'm with you," Hal breathed, his hands resting on Vada's shoulder blades, "it really does feel holy."

That fiery conviction was back in his voice. It made Vada shudder. What was _wrong_ with him? This - sex with an incubus - had to be the furthest thing from holy in the world. Yet when Hal said it, Vada almost believed it.

 _I'm insane too, I suppose,_ he thought as he flicked his tongue into Hal's navel. The squeak Hal made sent heat jumping through Vada's cock. Impatient and eager now, Vada unzipped Hal's pants and pulled them down along with his underwear, exposing his twitching, half-hard cock.

Quickly, clumsily, Vada pulled down his own pants, grabbed Hal's cock, and as Hal let out a startled yelp, rubbed both their cocks together. Slicked by precum, they glided against each other, and the sensation of his hot, throbbing flesh rubbing Hal's made Vada moan.

"Ohfuck, fuck, Vada," Hal cried, thrashing in Vada's grip. "Feels so good, gonna - "

"Cum?" Vada breathed into Hal's ear. "Stupid virgin. Last a little bit longer."

The red color that rose in Hal's brown skin was absolutely beautiful. "Of course - of course I will!"

Vada laughed, then let go of both their cocks, making Hal whine in protest. In response, Vada leaned forward for another kiss, barely catching Hal's lips with his mouth before pushing down on Hal's chest, making Hal lie down.

"Uh." Hal's eyes rounded. "Vada, what are you - ?"

"Shh." Vada tapped Hal's lips with his fingertip. Then he climbed over Hal, positioning his ass over Hal's fully erect cock.

Vada had done this position a few times, mostly with Hierophant Shell, but it felt completely different when he sank down upon Hal. He moaned, his back muscles tightening, as he swallowed Hal completely, feeling his insides part around Hal's thick cock.

A familiar sensation by now, but it still drove him crazy with need, made little pants and whimpers escape his lips. He pushed himself fully down, driving the head of Hal's cock against his prostate, and this made Hal groan and tremble. In this position, Vada could perfectly see Hal's face, flushed bright red and beaded with sweat, making his skin glow.

"Ah, hnn, start, start moving," Hal gasped, bucking his hips. His mad, undisciplined movements made his cock shift inside Vada, drawing forth a low moan from Vada. And he wanted to move too; the pressure of Hal's cock against his prostate was becoming unbearable. He pushed himself up, rising on his knees, slowly releasing Hal's cock. The growing sensation of emptiness made him groan.

Then he sank back down, swallowing Hal all the way down to his balls, and Hal thrust up to meet him. Vada threw his head back, crying out.

He started to move in earnest, rising and falling at a regular rhythm, each downward thrust of his hips matching Hal's upward thrust. Hal was hitting his prostate with every thrust now. The position was a lot of work - his thighs soon ached - but he didn't care, it felt so good. And it especially felt good to see Hal's face, the way he squeezed his eyes shut tightly and his lips parted as he thrust upward.

Vada's cock leaped and jumped. Lube was leaking out, an obscene amount, dripping down his thighs. He rarely ever got as wet as he did when having sex with Hal. The benefits of having a considerate lover, he supposed.

"I," Hal gasped with each upward thrust, "love, love you, Vada, I love you."

The words rose in Vada's throat, but he had enough conscious thought to clamp down on them. _No._ He could not - he didn't have the right -

One last ferocious downward thrust, Hal slammed against his prostate, setting his insides on fire, and he shook and gasped as his orgasm swept through him. He wailed aloud, cried out Hal's name.

_If this is a dream, I don't want this to ever end._

His insides clamped down hard around Hal's cock, and this was enough to make Hal cum as well. The hot liquid flooded Vada's passage, making him sputter and writhe and cum harder, splashing upon Hal's stomach. He sank down one last time on Hal's softening cock, desperately trying to prolong his orgasm, rubbing his insides against the sensitive flesh, but already the pleasure was fading. Hal pulled out completely - Vada gasped as the cum came streaking out down his thighs - and Vada collapsed down atop Hal. Cum squelched between them, but he didn't care.

"Wow," Hal said with a shaky laugh. His hand lightly brushed through Vada's hair. So much like the Lord Superior Hierophant this morning, but so different too. "I think that's my favorite position now."

Vada smirked against Hal's chest, enjoying the sensation of Hal's warm bare skin beneath him. "Too bad. It takes a lot of work on my part, you know."

"Never knew you'd be lazy about this one thing."

"Sex is supposed to fun, isn't it? That's what you said."

"Yeah." Hal's hand slid lower, caressing the base of Vada's neck. "I did say that. So how was it? Did you have fun?"

"Of course I did, idiot," Vada murmured into Hal's skin. "Thank you."

"Vada," Hal said, "how long have other people been hurting you?"

Vada twitched. Some of the warm contentment washing over him dissipated. "Why do you ask?"

"Sorry," Hal said, turning his head to the side. "I was just thinking...I mean, you seem really used to it. Like you've never really been with anyone who cared about how you felt."

"That's..." Vada swallowed an instinctive protest. Sure, he'd been with partners who had tried to make him cum, but it didn't matter, did it? Anything could make him cum. It was much rarer to have someone like Hal, who asked him what he wanted and listened when he tried to set boundaries.

Finally, he said, letting his eyelids fall shut, "I was fifteen. I...I had to feed."

He didn't tell Hal who he'd revealed his secret to. In his stupid, youthful naivete, he had thought that the Lord Superior Hierophant would actually want to help him. Would see through the incubus markings and instead see the perfect Devotee who was willing to do anything for Ghestruel's service.

Of course, the Lord Superior Hierophant had said that this was a way he could serve Ghestruel. Vada had had no choice but to obey.

"Whoever it was," Hal said, "shouldn't have hurt you."

"I'm an incubus, I can't be - "

"Ugh, Vada, don't you ever get tired of repeating that line?"

Vada climbed off of Hal, hurt lashing inside him. "Shut up. You don't understand."

"I've told you time and again," Hal said as he sat up, "it's not about whether you cum or not."

"Yes, I know that, but - you wouldn't cum from half the things they do to me, would you?" Anger was starting to rise inside Vada, displacing nearly all of his contentment, and it frightened him. _Control yourself, rein it in,_ but he couldn't stop the words from spilling forth. "If you were tied up and forced to wear women's clothes and take a vibrator and get spanked, would you cum? If you were raped by a monster, would you cum? If, if you were beaten and burnt and electrocuted, would you cum?"

 _Stop, stop, stop_ \- but he couldn't. For once, he _had_ to make Hal see, had to make him understand...

Hal's eyes grew wider and wider. His skin acquired an ashen tone. "Vada, who...who the hell has been doing all this to you?"

"Answer my question! Would you cum or not?"

"Who's been doing this to you?"

"Would you _cum,_ I ask? Or are you too afraid to say no? Too afraid of hurting my _feelings?_ It's fine to say no. Any normal person would. But I am an incubus, a slut - "

 _"Who the hell has been doing those things to you?"_ Hal rose to his feet, his fists shaking. "Tell me their names. I swear I'll - "

"You, the absolute worst Devotee in the Centarium? What could _you_ do?"

"I'm not the worst anymore," Hal said fiercely. "Thanks to your help."

"You're still not anywhere near strong enough. Even I can't do anything about it, so what makes you think _you_ can!"

Although...he had defeated Saint Thelm Ruever, hadn't he? He was stronger than he'd thought, than he'd believed. If he really was the next Chosen One, couldn't he have the power to make even Hierophants stop hurting him?

Absurd. Vada knew and understood the most basic truth of his life, which was that he had no power. The Hierophants had controlled his life from the very moment he'd been foolish enough to reveal the truth.

"I find that hard to believe," Hal said. "You're the best in the Centarium. You're even a Saint, Angel's sake."

"So - so what? Are you saying that I should fight back more? Perhaps I should. Since I don't, I obviously want it."

"No." Hal paled. "That's not what I meant. I'm sorry, Vada. I didn't - "

As he spoke, a sound reached Vada's ears. Footsteps, growing louder. Panic thrummed in his chest. He gave Hal a tremendous push, moving Hal away from him, and dove for his abandoned clothing.

Not quickly enough. The door flung open.

It was almost like a parody of that first time. For there was Grand Hierophant Arun Pember, and his eyes were sweeping between Hal and Vada, both naked and covered in cum. Horror thrummed in Vada's chest.

He'd been caught.

 _Idiot, idiot, IDIOT!_ Why had he - why had he chosen _this_ place, of all places? The abandoned classroom he knew nobody ever frequented, and his own room was safe. But here, he knew people came and went all the time. Even so, even so -

"Please," Vada began, not caring that he'd started to beg in front of Hal.

Not that Hal seemed to notice. "Look, this isn't what it looks like!" he bleated, flinging his hands up.

Hierophant Pember chuckled. The sound dragged at Vada's gut.

"As you were, boys," Pember said, turning toward the door. "Carry on."

"Huh?" Hal said, very loudly and very stupidly.

"I didn't see anything." Pember winked. "Please continue to have your fun. Students need to destress."

With that, he disappeared out the door again.

Hal sagged, sighing in relief. But Vada remained standing, his entire body cold and frozen. He knew Pember had just been putting on a show for Hal's benefit. But for him...he knew word of this was going straight to the Lord Superior Hierophant's ears. And when it did...

"Vada?" Hal turned toward him. "Vada, what's wrong? You're completely white."

"Get dressed," Vada snapped. "And go. _Now!"_

"Huh? Pember said it was fine - "

"I said go!" Vada gathered up Hal's clothes on the floor and threw them at him. Tears were stinging his eyes. A fool, a fool, he'd been a complete fool.

Even worse, he had dragged Hal into this.

No matter how much time passed, he could never, _never,_ forgive himself for that.

* * *

Vada didn't wait. As soon as he was dressed and out of the tower, he raced for the medusid station. Students stared as he ran, obviously wondering where Saint Vada Imilai was in such a hurry to go, but Vada didn't give a shit what they thought.

Once at the station, he called a personal medusid, jumped in, and cursed the damn craft the entire slow way it drifted down to the Left Eye of Ghestruel.

As soon as he was inside, he yanked off his clothes and flung himself to the floor at the foot of the desk, gasping in the carpet, "Please, Lord Superior Hierophant, do anything you want to me, I don't care, I won't complain, I won't protest, you can do anything you like, anything."

"Lift your head," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. His voice was unreadable.

Shivering, Vada forced himself to obey. The Lord Superior Hierophant was flanked by Shell and Pember. Pember was smiling a thin, unamused smile. The other two were completely expressionless.

Tears burned Vada's eyes, despite himself. "Anything," he repeated, weaker now.

"Not even a day after I told you to stop sleeping around randomly," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "And I catch you having sex with Hallert Thorner, of all people."

"Please," Vada said. "Please, sir, whatever you like, I swear I'll - "

"Thorner." The Lord Superior Hierophant began to pace, stroking his beard. "I had wondered about your association with him. You started three fights because of him. You two saved each other from Thelm Ruever. You really have become close friends, haven't you?"

Vada crawled up onto the desk, turned around and lifted his ass and spread his legs, showing the Hierophants his wide-open entrance. "Please, anything - "

The Lord Superior Hierophant slapped his ass, hard. Vada whimpered, feeling his cock jump.

"Turn back around, foolish boy."

Vada didn't obey. He lifted his hips further, pushing his ass back. "Punish me, please, I've been bad, I need to be punished."

"I said, _turn around."_ An invisible Contemplatist power seized Vada and flung him off the desk, sending him crashing heavily onto the carpet. He bit back a gasp of pain and tried to rise, but the same force was pinning him down.

It wasn't arresting his throat, though, so Vada sputtered, " _Please,_ I deserve punishment, I'll take an enema, let a minotaur fuck me, slimes, vines, anything, anything - "

"You seem quite desperate," observed Shell.

"Thorner is different indeed," said Pember.

Horror seared through Vada's chest. He shouldn't be coming off this strongly - they'd undoubtedly suspect something. Yet at the same time, if he did nothing, they might end up dragging Hal into this. Vada couldn't stand the thought. He'd do anything to keep it from happening.

He was selfish. He didn't want to break Hal's faith in him. He didn't want to break Hal's _heart._ Didn't want to hurt Hal by showing him the truth.

Hal had fallen in love with a prideful Vada Imilai who needed saving. If he saw Vada as he really was, a slut merciless beneath the Hierophants, it would kill him. Vada wouldn't do that to Hal, the first person who had been truly kind to him. Who had seen him through his worst, most vulnerable moments, and hadn't come out of it thinking less of him.

At the very least, the _very_ least, Hal deserved better.

Tears burned in Vada's eyes, streaked down his cheeks. "P-please..."

"Yes, perhaps it's time to invite him," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "He still has that potion, after all."

He didn't; Vada had broken it. But that would not save Hal. The Hierophants controlled the Centarium. Their will dictated every movement of every student within it. If they wanted Hal to participate in these sessions, then Hal most certainly would.

Vada squeezed his eyes shut. Was he really that powerless?

Chosen One nothing. In the end, he was just these men's fucktoy.

"I'll write a summons," said Pember. "Honestly, Vada, why are you so desperate he not participate? You had no problem sleeping with him without our supervision."

"Are you hiding something?" Shell rumbled.

Vada shook his head, mad, desperate. Footsteps thudded on the carpet. Strong hands grabbed him by the shoulders, hauling him up. Shell. Shell picked him up easily and pushed him down on his hands and knees on the desk, and the next thing Vada knew Shell's huge cock was probing his entrance, pushing him wide open.

"Mm, nn," Vada gasped onto the hard wood surface of the desk as Shell forced his way inside. Automatically he began to thrust his hips back to meet Shell's thrusts. His earlier sex with Hal, so bright and free and loving, already seemed so long ago.

He'd been a fool, a complete fool. Giving in to weakness, to sentiment. And now...now...

Pember climbed in front of him, pushed his cock into Vada's mouth. Vada took it, sucked with gusto, but he knew he couldn't stave off what was coming.

"You are _mine."_ The Lord Superior Hierophant's voice scraped over his skin like razors. "You are not permitted to give yourself away to anybody else. I will teach you, I will show you, do you understand? Do you?"

Vada nodded. He had no other choice.

 _I'm sorry, Hal,_ he thought. _I'm sorry that I have to do this to you._


	25. Chapter 25

Hal had chased Vada all the way to the medusid station, but now that he was here, he couldn't follow. Vada had hopped onto a personal transport and Hal had no idea where it had taken him. Even so, he remained there, pacing furiously back and forth as students climbed in and out of medusid buses. Some of them shot him odd looks, but Hal ignored them.

Vada had to come back from where he'd gone eventually. Hal would wait here all night if he had to.

The sun had already fully descended. The stars sprinkled the great velvety blue expanse of the sky, crowning Ghestruel. Hal didn't care. He paced and paced and paced until his legs ached.

Then a personal medusid transport rose up to the edge of the platform. A letter flew out of it. It opened in front of Hal. _Devotee Hallert Thorner requested to audience with Lord Superior Hierophant Avaclus Dei in the Left Eye of Ghestruel. Bring your potion._

An electric charge jumped down Hal's spine. The Lord Superior Hierophant? In the Left Eye? The last time Hal had been here, he'd just been rewarded for trying to save Vada from Thelm Ruever. Yet he had the distinct sense that wasn't going to happen now.

His skin crawled. He remembered the terror in Vada's face after Pember had walked in on them, remember Vada's desperate flight to the medusid station. Something was going on here, something that Hal didn't understand. He'd thought that Pember hadn't cared about their fucking, but Vada had treated it as the end of the world. As if he cared that much about losing his status as Mr. Perfect.

Now the Lord Superior Hierophant was calling for Hal. It had to do with Vada. With what they'd been caught doing.

Hal took a deep breath and stepped onto the transport.

His nerves jangled all the way down to the Left Eye. Was the Lord Superior Hierophant going to chew him out for daring to sleep with the future Chosen One? Had the Hierophants found out that Vada was an incubus? Were they going to kick him out of the Centarium?

 _No._ If they did, it was Hal's fault. He couldn't let that happen to Vada.

By the time the medusid stopped, Hal could barely stand upright. He stumbled his way inside the office, hoping, wishing, praying that everything would work out all right.

The light from the crystals almost blinded him. Hal blinked hard, stumbling forward.

"Welcome," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, smiling like a kindly uncle, "Devotee Hallert Thorner."

But Hal was paying attention to another sound, below the Lord Superior Hierophant's voice. Muffled gasps and moans and whimpers. In a familiar voice...

The Lord Superior Hierophant stepped aside. Revealing Vada Imilai on his knees on the desk, his arms bound behind his back, a ball gag stuffed in his mouth, a vibrator working intently inside his raised ass.

Their eyes met. The horror in Vada's eyes lanced through Hal's spine.

What...what was going on? Hal's eyes skipped all over Vada's body, taking in his twining markings, the ugly red marks across his ass and thighs. This was - but this was happening inside the Lord Superior Hierophant's office. The last, the _weirdest_ place, for - for -

"Why the look of shock?" said Hierophant Pember smoothly. "Surely you already know how much of a whore Saint Vada Imilai is."

Vada shook his head madly, his loose hair flapping. Tears welled in the corners of his eyes, making Hal's heart jolt.

Yet - yet the sight of Vada bound and gagged and thrusting his hips to take the vibrator in deeper made a funny, shameful heat stir in Hal's stomach. His cock twitched. He bit his lip, terror thrumming in his veins.

"Devotee Thorner," said Hierophant Shell, "take out your potion."

"I, I don't have it," Hal babbled.

"You were requested to bring it," said Pember.

"It broke," Hal said. "I dropped it."

The Hierophants exchanged glances. Then the Lord Superior Hierophant gestured, and Hal took a numb step forward.

After all, this man was the supreme leader of the Centarium. Hal had no choice but to obey.

"Behold," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, still smiling that awful kindly smile. "Here is Vada Imilai, all ready for your taking. You've already enjoyed him several times, haven't you? Vada told me that the first time was all the way back during your first detention."

"I'm, I'm sorry, sir," Hal babbled. "I didn't mean to - I shouldn't have - "

"Oh, by all means, you did him a great service. Helping him feed..." The Lord Superior Hierophant rested his hand atop Vada's head. More tears leaked from Vada's eyes. "Any of us would have done the same in your stead."

"Do...," Hal stumbled over his words. "Do you...know?"

"We've known all along," said Pember. "Vada here is our dear little whore. Now you can enjoy him too, _with_ our sanction."

"There was no need for him to creep about and sleep with you furtively," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, stroking Vada's hair. "He could have asked, and we would have brought you here."

"I, I don't get it," Hal said. He was hurtling dangerously close to a precipice, a truth that he didn't want to face, but it was so hard to _think_ when he couldn't tear his eyes away from Vada and he was getting harder and harder. "Did you...you mean you already..."

"A shame you don't have the potion, but his pheromones should be enough. As you know from experience," Pember said, climbing onto the desk beside Vada. Vada shot him a terrified look before Pember took him by the hips and turned him around.

Hal's breath caught when he saw Vada's bare ass flushed bright red, his trembling thighs, his hole stretched wide around the vibrator. Liquid was trickling out from around the hole, dripping onto the desk.

Hal grew harder and harder. He swallowed, stumbled back, even though his entire body cried for him to come closer.

With delicate fingers, Pember took the protruding tip of the vibrator - then tugged. It slid out, inch by slow inch, and Hal watched, transfixed, as Vada trembled and moaned into the gag and thrust his hips back, trying to pull the vibrator back in. Pember tugged harder. As soon as it slid completely out, Vada's entire body convulsed and cum came leaking out of his ass, streaking down his thighs in white trails.

His cock jumped, and Hal held in a moan as Vada came, his cum splashing onto the desk.

"Felt good, hmm?" Pember brushed Vada's quivering entrance with his fingertips, then reached inside to stir the cum still dripping out. "To feel it all leak out like that..."

"Come here, Thorner," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, extending a hand to Hal. "His hole is open for your taking. Take him as much as you would like."

"Wait," Hal said. "Wait, I don't know..."

"Why are you hesitating? He's right here, right in front of you," Pember said. "Ready and willing. Right, Vada?" He reached around to Vada's front, undid the straps of the gag. Then pulled it out. Vada gasped, panting, as the ball slid out of his mouth. Saliva dripped from his lips. Hal tried not to watch, but he just couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Go on." Pember turned Vada's head around so he was looking directly at Hal. "Tell Thorner how much you want him to fuck you."

"Tell him what a slut you are," said Shell. "How you can't live without a cock in your ass. Doesn't matter whose." He slapped Vada's ass, making Vada's entire body quiver.

"Did he tell you that you were special? That you were the only one?" The Lord Superior Hierophant chuckled. "He was wrong. Do you know that he comes here every morning? He comes here to be fucked by us, or by our friends. It's our way of so generously feeding him."

He slid a hand beneath Vada, rubbing his chest. Vada leaned into the touch, moaning. "I am indeed the most generous, magnaminous Lord Superior Hierophant the Centarium has ever seen. Any other would have terminated this boy on sight if he came to them begging for sex, revealing that he was an incubus. But I took pity on him. I understood that he was a great Devotee, the best in centuries. I arranged to keep his secret, so long as I could keep him fed."

The hand reached Vada's nipple and rubbed. Vada's moan rose, becoming higher in pitch.

"But on occasion, I invite others to share this bounty - those who I believe worthy. Now I have bestowed upon you this great honor, Devotee Thorner. Take it."

He looked up, his blue eyes meeting Hal's, cold as ice. Hal swallowed hard. He'd started rubbing his thighs together, trying to relieve the painful pleasure stiffening his cock.

"Go on." The Lord Superior Hierophant seized a fistful of Vada's hair and tugged his head up. "Tell Devotee Thorner how much you crave his cock."

Vada's eyes were squeezed shut, tears gleaming on his face. Even through his pleasure, Hal felt a twinge of concern.

"I, I don't know," he said, his voice high and hysterical. "I don't know if he wants this..."

Vada's eyes opened. To Hal's shock, they were full of terror.

"I do," he said. His voice was a rough whisper. Louder, "I _do._ I'm a whore, I'm a slut. Thorner, please give me what I want, what I need."

As he spoke, he twisted his spine, spread his thighs. Revealing his wide-open hole, still dripping cum.

"You can see right up me, can't you?" he whispered, low and seductive. "Go ahead. Take what you want, Thorner. Give me your cock, I crave it so much."

Maybe a few months ago, Hal wouldn't have hesitated to take up Vada's offer. But not long ago, he had heard Vada speak to him in a similar seductive tone, speaking similar filthy words. Back then, Hal had understood it was a performance.

And now - now was the same. For that gleam of terror hadn't left Vada's eyes.

"I don't know," Hal said again.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, you were going at like rabbits earlier," said Pember. "Why so shy now?"

"We won't grade you," offered Shell.

"You're...teachers," Hal said, struggling to speak through the haze of pleasure. "And you...the first time, he was fifteen. Right? That doesn't seem...I mean..."

"He is an incubus. Normal standards of morality do not apply to him," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "As I explained, I was doing him a favor."

"Yes, yes." Vada tossed his head back. " _Please,_ Thorner! Give it to me!"

Hal heard the almost hysterical desperation in Vada's voice, and it stirred his lust - but also something else. Alarm. Vada wasn't just begging him for sex. But for what?

Every day, every day for the past three years, these three Hierophants had been doing this to Vada? Tying him down and having their way with him? But...but he was begging Hal for it, and he had come to the Lord Superior Hierophant in the first place, right? Yet he'd been fifteen, and he was still much younger than these centuries-old men now, still a student. It didn't...didn't seem right. But Vada was an incubus, but Hal had already said that meant nothing, not compared to what was going on in Vada's mind, but what was going through his mind now...

"Will you keep hesitating?" said the Lord Superior Hierophant, sounding annoyed now. "I already said you could have whatever you liked, no need to hesitate. This is a _reward,_ Thorner. I am in a generous mood."

A reward. Hal had said that sex wasn't a reward...

"Come here." The Lord Superior Hierophant gestured. Hal gasped as an invisible force seized him and dragged him forward, his feet skimming across the carpet. He ended up right in front of Vada. This close, Vada's scent engulfed him, the sweet smell of plums stoking Hal's desire even higher. His cock strained against his pants; he groaned.

"Thorner," Vada breathed, gazing at Hal through lidded eyes. "Give it to me. You know what I want. Come and fuck the slutty incubus all you like."

As if in a dream, Hal watched himself extend his hands. Reaching for Vada. But he didn't touch. Not yet.

"Are you sure?" he whispered. "Do you want this?"

"Of course I do," Vada said, the tip of his tongue licking his lower lip. "It's what Iive for. Please fuck this filthy slut."

"You're not a slut," Hal said, anger stirring inside him.

"I am, I am. _Please..."_ Vada arched his back, sticking out his hips. His cock, already erect again, bounced with the movement. Hal's own cock strained tighter.

Why, why wouldn't he do this? If the Hierophants were right then Vada did this routinely, and they were even doing him a favor since they were feeding him in secret. But they were _teachers,_ and Vada had spoken before of monsters and spankings and burning and electricity - were these men responsible? These representatives of Ghestruel's Will?

"Take him!" the Lord Superior Hierophant practically snarled. "What is the matter with you?"

"I said you weren't in trouble," said Pember.

"Please," Vada moaned, arching his back further, raising his hips. "Shoot your cum deep inside me."

"Vada," Hal said. "I...is this what you really want?"

Vada's eyes widened. Then fell half shut again, and the seductive smirk played across his lips. "With all my heart, dear Thorner."

Hal climbed onto the desk.

He had no choice. The Hierophants were watching this. They wanted him to do this. They were the rulers of the Centarium. And Vada was begging him for it. Except it was all a show, a performance.

Because if Hal said no, he had the sense that he and Vada - or maybe just Vada - would suffer consequences for it.

"Yes." The Lord Superior Hierophant leaned forward. To Hal's disgust, his hand was beneath his robe, and he was stroking obscenely. Hal couldn't square this perverted Lord Superior Hierophant with the kindly old uncle he'd first met.

But maybe this was the Lord Superior Hierophant's true face.

Shuddering, hating himself, Hal reached out and put his hands on Vada's shoulders. Then he leaned forward and kissed Vada, lightly, gently. He felt Vada stiffen beneath him. Vada didn't return the kiss.

"I love you," Hal whispered in Vada's ear. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Vada whispered back. "Just do it."

Hal kissed him again, softer this time. He gestured and Vada turned around, lifting his hips, spreading his thighs.

Swallowing, Hal unzipped his pants, drew his erect cock out of his fly. He groaned in relief as the cool air of the office brushed the throbbing, overheated skin. Then he gripped Vada's hips, feeling Vada shift beneath his grip, and pushed his way forward.

He slid easily inside Vada's slick, already wide open entrance. Vada's insides closed in around him, tight and pulsing, squeezing him so hard Hal groaned aloud.

"Feels good, doesn't it, Thorner?" said Pember, smirking. "That's right, given in, allow yourself to cut loose. That's the blessing of being with an incubus. You can do whatever you like."

 _What about what Vada likes?_ Hal thought, but it was a distant thought indeed as he thrust forward, pushing his way deeper inside. Vada thrust back against him, gasping aloud, his chest heaving.

Hal dug his hands into Vada's reddened and well-spanked ass cheeks, spread them wider apart, driving forth a low whimper from Vada. Then Hal rocked his hips, and the tip of his cock brushed Vada's prostate. Vada's whimper transformed into a long wail.

"Mm, more, more, more," he cried, tossing his head back. "I'm yours, all of it is yours."

"I know," Hal murmured, thrusting forward. "I know, love."

This was wrong, completely wrong, fucking a bound Vada on the Lord Superior Hierophant's desk while three old men watched, but he tried to remember their joyous union from earlier today, the calm contentment they'd shared. He loved Vada. He would never hurt Vada. At the very least, he'd try to ensure this was good for the both of them. He'd try to make his feelings come across, even with so many constraints upon them.

They fell into a regular rhythm, the only sound in the office skin slapping skin and their rough breathing. Until Hierophant Shell broke it, observing, "The two of you have a good rhythm. You certainly have experience with this."

"They've been fucking like rabbits ever since the Armor Vault," Pember snickered. "Naughty Vada, keeping it a secret for so long."

He moved in front, and to Hal's shock drew his cock forth from within his robes. And pressed it to Vada's lips. Vada convulsed; Hal could feel his spine stiffening, his insides clamping down tight around Hal's cock. Hal bit down a moan and fixed Hierophant Pember with his fiercest glare.

The Hierophant chuckled. "Scary. A possessive one, aren't you?"

And he shoved his cock into Vada's mouth.

Hal couldn't _believe_ this - he was fucking Vada at the same time as a teacher. He wanted to push Pember away from Vada. Wanted to smash Pember's smug youthful face in with his fists. Wanted to toss Pember out of the Left Eye entirely and watch him fall and scream all the way down to the land below.

But Hal couldn't make any of that happen. Growling in fury, he dug his fingers deeper into Vada's ass, making Vada whimper into Pember's cock, and thrust harder and faster. Each one of his savage long strokes hit Vada's prostate now. Vada arched his back, trembling.

Guilt seared through Hal; what was he doing, taking out his frustrations on Vada? If that was the case, he was no different from these old pervert Hierophants. Hal slowed his pace, even though it send a frustrated twinge through his cock, and bent down over Vada's back and trailed kisses down the length of his spine, murmuring apologies into his skin.

Vada moaned into Pember's cock. The sucking and licking sounds were obscene. Hal really, _really_ wanted to murder Pember. He pulled Vada back against him, sinking in so deep that Vada trembled, and it was too much for him - his orgasm swept upon him in one violent blow and Vada groaned. He pressed his mouth to the dip between Vada's shoulder blades as he pushed against Vada's prostate and cum came gushing out, flooding Vada's slick tight passage. Vada pushed back against him, and Hal reached between Vada's legs and gave his cock one, two, three sharp tugs.

As Pember thrust his cock out of Vada's mouth, Vada unleashed a high, wild cry. _"Hal - "_

His seed spilled all over Hal's hand, burning hot. Hal leaned down over him, took a fistful of his hair, turned his head and kissed him, ignoring the fact that his mouth tasted like Hierophant Pember's cock. Pember's cock prodded Vada's cheek; seized by a sudden furious impulse, Hal grabbed the Hierophant's rather small and pathetic specimen and squeezed it, hard.

Pember cried out in surprise - and pleasure. He came all over Hal's hand, filling Hal with disgust. He flung his hand at Pember and splashed Pember in the face with his own cum.

"What the - " Pember sputtered. Hal meanwhile got to work undoing the leather bands tying Vada's wrists together. The red marks they left on Vada's skin only stoked Hal's fury. Hal tossed the bands aside and Vada gasped as he collapsed upon the desk.

"What are you doing, Thorner?" said Shell, a warning in his voice.

"You can all," Hal said, shuddering in anger, "go straight to _hell."_

"Get off." Shell glared at Hal. "How dare you treat a teacher in such a manner."

"How dare _you_ treat Vada like this!" Hal shouted back recklessly. "You fucking Angel-damned hypocritical assholes - "

"Enough!" This was the Lord Superior Hierophant, lashing out his arm. An invisible force hit Hal in the stomach and knocked him off the desk, sent him sliding across the floor. The carpet burned across his skin but Hal didn't care, he writhed and fought like a cornered cat. He was furious with the Hierophants, with himself. He just - just wanted to make them pay.

"You've had your fill," said the Lord Superior Hierophant coldly, walking over to Vada and stroking his back, right where Hal had kissed. Which just drove Hal crazier with rage. "And you've proven that you cannot control yourself. We will never invite you back again."

"That's fine, you bastards!" Hal yelled. "I don't want to come back! Fuck you all and fuck the Centarium!"

Vada cast Hal a terrified glance over his shoulder, his eyes huge. He reached for the Lord Superior Hierophant, but the Lord Superior Hierophant rounded on him and slapped him in the face.

Hal's fury crested - and shattered. In his mind he was seeing Rayton walk away and once more he was a helpless child, but no more, _no more._ He was tired of losing everyone. His parents, his first love. He would not, _would not,_ lose his second love..

He surged to his feet, reached for Ghestruel's Will and Power, and lashed fire at the Hierophants -

"Hal!" Vada screamed, lunging for him, but too late.

The Lord Superior Hierophant lifted his hand. The fire bounced off an invisible shield and dissipated. But Hal wasn't done. He summoned more and more flames, not thinking, not caring, just out of his mind with fury at what he had done to Vada, what these old hypocrites had made him do. All the Hierophants rushed at him, stopping the flames, but Hal continued reaching for his rage, filling the office with fire. A horrible burning stench wafted up at him; he'd successfuly set the carpet on fire.

Then Hierophant Shell was directly in front of him. He drew his fist back and hit Hal in the stomach. Hal doubled over, coughing out blood. Even so, he had the presence of mind to lash a whip of fire at Shell. Shell blocked it with an invisible shield, fury and disbelief pulsing across his face.

"Hal! Enough, enough, Hal, _stop!"_ Vada's hysterical screams seemed to drift from somewhere very far away. "Please, stop!"

Then an invisible force seized Hal's hands, pressed them to his sides. Hal writhed and snarled, but couldn't move them even a centimeter. He tumbled flat to the floor, the force pushing down on him, stilling his breath.

The Hierophants marched toward him, surrounding him. In the ghastly glow of the fire, they looked like devils straight from the underworld. No, even worse, because they pretended to represent the Angel's Will.

The Lord Superior Hierophant's eyes were the cruelest of all. He declared, "Henceforth, Hallert Thorner, you are expelled from the Centarium."


	26. Chapter 26

The Hierophants tied Hal up and locked him into a tiny room in Ghestruel's Right Eye, where apparently miscreants awaiting their expulsion hearings were confined. Why they were going to bother with the formality of a hearing was beyond Hal. He already knew the outcome, had seen it in the rage in the Lord Superior Hierophant's pale eyes.

What were they going to say at the hearing, he wondered dully. Surely not that Hal had been furious that Hierophant Pember had been fucking Vada Imilai so he'd attacked all the Hierophants, those hypocritical perverted assholes. No, those liars would just pretend like Hal attacked them without any provocation. They'd mutter that they knew he would always amount to this, for he was after all the worst student in the Centarium.

Good. Hal had never been more proud of his status. If this, _this,_ was what the Centarium represented, he wanted nothing to do with it.

 _Rayton,_ Hal thought, _you were wrong. Your dream was bullshit all along and you didn't even know it._

What must the Angel think about the bastards who pretended to embody Their Will? But maybe the fact that They hadn't stricken down the Lord Superior Hierophant and his cronies now suggested that those horrid old perverts _did_ have Their Will.

In that case, fuck the Angel too.

Hal shuddered from the sheer blasphemy of his thoughts, but all he had to do was remember Pember's cock in Vada's mouth, the desperate pleading in Vada's eyes, the Hierophants speaking so casually about raping a student ever since he was fifteen as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Because he was an _incubus?_ That still didn't give them the right. They were teachers. Their role was to help and steward their students, not take advantage of them!

Hal paced furious circles, determined to wear holes into the floor. He entertained himself with fantasies of slowly and brutally murdering each of the Hierophants, especially the Lord Superior Hierophant.

All this time, Vada had been suffering like this and Hal hadn't the slightest clue. Eventually he'd come to realize that people mistreated Vada, but he'd thought it came at the hands of asshole students like Rhys, not the very administration of the Centarium itself. He cringed as he remembered his own words to Vada, asking why he didn't fight back.

Of _course_ Vada couldn't fight back. Even the future Chosen One couldn't do anything against the Hierophants who ruled the Centarium.

Which just made Hal more furious.

A day later, he got visitors. Cinda and Rodmont, of course. Pency was on Cinda's shoulder, crying big fat tears.

Guilt lanced through Hal. If he left the Centarium, he'd never seen any of these three again. Friends who'd stood by him since his very first year here, who'd given him far more than he deserved.

He hugged Cinda and Pency. Rodmont was more distant, but his eyes were wet, which shocked Hal. He hadn't known Rodmont had that much sentiment for him.

There went Hal again, underestimating his friends.

"What did you do, Hal?" Cinda said quietly, shaking her head. "I thought you were improving."

Pency said nothing, just shook with sobs inside Hal's jacket. Hal hugged and rubbed her, but it just made her cry harder.

Guilt twisted Hal's stomach. He wondered how his friends would react if he told them that the Lord Superior Hierophant was raping Vada every day.

"I just...I'm really sorry," Hal said, and that much was the truth. His spur of the moment assault, as good as it had felt at the time, had fixed nothing for no one. If anything, he might have even made Vada's life worse.

"Hal," Rodmont said softly, putting an arm around Cinda, "I just wanted you to know that you're invited to the wedding."

"Huh?" Hal stared blankly at the two of them.

Cinda blushed and intertwined her fingers with Rodmont's. "After we graduate, we're going to get married. And wherever you are, Hal, we'll find you."

"W-wait, you went from friends with benefits to, uh, _fiances?_ This quick?"

"We always loved each other," Rodmont said, shrugging. "We were just fucking morons about it."

"Just like you're a fucking moron for love, aren't you?" Cinda said, smirking.

Hal blinked. Cinda sighed. "Roddy told me about your feelings for Imilai."

"I," Hal said with surprising passion, "would do anything for him. It was for his sake - it's not fair that - " He didn't know what he was saying. He had to stop, couldn't reveal the truth to his friends. "They're _hurting_ him. I tried to stop them, those damn evil Hierophants, but they..."

Rodmont's face was troubled. He exchanged glances with Cinda. Cinda said, "Hal, what can we do to help?"

"I don't know," Hal said, rubbing his head. "The - they're the rulers of the Centarium, we're just students."

"We're your friends." To Hal's surprise, this was Pency inside his jacket. "We'll always stand by you, Hal."

Tears flooded Hal's eyes. He squeezed Pency tight, pressing her warm, soft body to his chest. "I know. I know, Pency. I'm sorry. I'm the worst, I've been no kind of friend to any of you."

"Don't say that, Hal." Cinda reached out and took Hal's hand. Rodmont blushed, coughed, blinked, and then took Hal's other hand.

"When we're together afterwards," Rodmont said, "we should start a new band."

Hal groaned.

"Pency can be our mascot," said Cinda, wiping a tear.

"I like that! I like that!" Pency squeaked. "Hal, I'll go wherever you go! I won't let them put me back in the menagerie. I'll go with you!"

She spread her wings, puffed herself out in determination. Hal didn't laugh. Instead, he smiled and said, "Thanks. Thanks for everything."

In the end, he'd never be the Chosen One, but that didn't mean shit. He was glad he had gone to the Centarium after all. Because he'd met Vada. Because he'd met his friends.

He wouldn't trade any of them for anything.

* * *

Vada lay on his back on the altar, his arms bound within the arms of the statue of Ghestruel, his legs spread wide open. A ring was tight around the base of his cock, keeping him from coming, while Hierophant Shell thrust the hilt of Dark Star inside of him, pushing his insides wide open. The large jet stone on the pommel and the intricate silver inlay pressed painfully and insistently against his soft inner walls, making him whimper and blubber.

It had been more than a day since he'd gone to classes, though it was difficult to keep track of time inside the Sanctum. His ass and thighs were still sore from the half-healed cane lashes the Lord Superior Hierophant had left behind. This time the Lord Superior Hierophant hadn't required a count, had just beaten him until he'd bled, then beaten him some more.

They were furious with him for Hal's conduct. Vada himself kept replaying the moment when Hal had flung Hierophant Pember's cum into his face, and then proceeded to set the office on fire. All while screaming curses and hatred upon the Hierophants, all the feelings that Vada himself had long kept bottled inside, had long suppressed until the years had dulled them into almost nothing.

But they'd been reignited in that moment, and it was then that Vada realized that nothing he did could ever break Hal's faith in him. No matter how slutty he was, how depraved, how humiliated, Hal wouldn't care.

It was in that moment, watching Hal bathed in firelight and with his eyes hard with conviction, that Vada first truly believed that Hal loved him. And he loved Hal.

A particularly hard jerk of the sword, and Vada gasped as the tip of the hilt hit his prostate. He arched his back, seeking relief, but couldn't escape. And even bound by the ring, his cock was getting harder.

 _Slut, whore,_ but he couldn't be a slut without perverts to inflict these degradations upon him, could he?

"Have you repented enough, Vada Imilai?" growled Shell.

"Where," Vada gasped. "Where, where is Hal?"

A harder thrust of Dark Star, making Vada wail. The Lord Superior Hierophant marched over to him and slapped him across the face. He tasted blood in his mouth.

"Asking about your boyfriend even now? How pathetic. You are nothing more than a filthy slut, and thanks to your long-standing illicit association with the worst student at the Centarium, my office is an uninhabitable wreck."

"D-don't be so dramatic," Vada hissed out. "It's just - just the carpet that burned."

Another, harder slap. "It appears your _boyfriend's_ cheek has rubbed off on you. Well, I will not tolerate it."

"You don't know how kind we have been to you, Vada," said Hierophant Pember, sitting down on the altar next to Vada's head. "How generous. We could have easily thrown you out of the Centarium or killed you after you revealed what you really were. Instead, we fed you for all these years."

Vada gasped as Hierophant Shell thrust Dark Star again, the pommel scraping against his insides. "Ow, please - "

"Please what? More or stop?" Shell said, almost teasingly. "More, of course. It's all you want, slut."

His hand rested over the tip of Vada's cock. Even that light touch on the slick, sensitive skin made Vada buck his hips, trying to get more of his cock into Shell's hand. Shell gave his cock a tremendous slap - Vada whined and moaned - before withdrawing his hand. He wrapped both hands around Dark Star's scabbard and pushed the sword hard inside, grinding it insistently against Vada's prostate.

"Ah, nhh." Vada writhed. The pressure was driving him inside. "Ahh, l-let me, let me c-cum - "

The words escaped before he could stop himself. The Hierophants all chuckled as one, and Vada hated himself.

"You seem to be getting harder even faster than normal," teased Pember, tracing a fingertip down Vada's jaw. "Is it that exciting, getting fucked by your own sword?"

"Hal," Vada gasped, trying to force himself to remember what was important. "Where - where is - "

"We will never let you see him. He is a horrible, corrupting influence upon you. I should have expelled him much earlier." The Lord Superior Hierophant's face was full of thunder. "You are _mine._ I will make you the Chosen One. You will make my reputation."

In the end, that was all he was to the Lord Superior Hierophant. A tool. Whether as a sex toy or as a means for status. The Lord Superior Hierophant had never given a shit about his service to Ghestruel. Vada wondered if the Lord Superior Hierophant even cared about the Nine-Armed One.

A harder, fiercer thrust of Dark Star wiped out his thoughts. He whimpered as lube dripped down his thighs. He was getting so wet just from this...

"Do you want to cum, Vada?" asked Shell.

Vada bit his lip. Shell asked the question again, louder.

This time the Lord Superior Hierophant grabbed his hair and yanked, so hard tears filled Vada's eyes. "Don't be rude. Answer Hierophant Shell's question."

"I - ah - _nhh hnn!"_ Shell was increasing his pace, thrusting Dark Star so fast Vada could barely keep up. His insides clenched and unclenched around the hilt as it plunged in and out of him. "Y-yes, yes - "

He was begging for it before he could stop himself. Tears stung his eyes. Desperately, he tried to cling on to the memory of Hal burning down the office, but it was so distant now. Especially when Shell closed his fingers around the ring and began rubbing it back and forth. The sensation of the metal twisting upon his sensitive, throbbing skin made him sob.

Then Shell's fingers retreated. Before Vada could stop himself, he bucked his hips up, trying to get his cock back into Shell's hand. The three Hierophants chuckled as one.

"Not yet," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "You filthy incubus. You haven't repented enough."

"P-please," escaped Vada's lips before he could stop himself. Shell had stopped moving Dark Star inside him too; he writhed and pushed his hips down, trying to grind against the hilt, but it just made him more and more frustrated.

"As I said, you have not repented enough. You have forgotten the _massive_ debt you owe us for even agreeing to allow you to stay within the Centarium's hallowed halls."

 _Fuck the Centarium,_ Hal's voice whispered in Vada's ears. Vada blinked away tears.

He couldn't allow himself to reach that point, not yet. Even if the men who ruled the Centarium were cruel, he still believed that he could be the next Chosen One. That Ghestruel would one day speak to him. He _had_ to. If not for his own sake, then for his mother's. It would break her heart if he didn't achieve the status that she believed he deserved.

For the longest time, he had only lived for his mother's sake. Even if he had Hal now, he could not forget her.

But it was so hard to think of either Hal or his mother right now, when he was hovering just at the edge of his orgasm but couldn't do anything, _anything,_ about it. He whined as Hierophant Shell withdrew Dark Star from within him, leaving him empty and aching. And disgusted with himself, when he saw the lube slicking the hilt of his sword. Had he really gotten that wet from being fucked with his own sword?

Shell ran his fingertip through the dripping liquid and then sucked at it. Vada grew harder; the ring tightened painfully around his cock.

"Delicious," said Shell. "Sweet, just like you. Would you like a sample?"

"Please," Vada choked out. "Please, I want to cum."

"No," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "Stay like that, slut. Perhaps it is the one way to make you repent."

"I, I have repented already," Vada babbled, foolish and pathetic. He writhed against the altar; even the metal surface brushing his bare skin sent more heat pooling in his body. "Want to, want to - "

"I am the one who decides whether you have repented or not," thundered the Lord Superior Hierophant. "And I say you have not. Another day on the altar should straighten you out."

Vada's eyes snapped wide open. Another _day_ here? Bound within the arms of the statue, unable to cum no matter how hard he tried or wanted? As an incubus he probably wouldn't suffer too many ill physiological effects from maintaining an erection for that long, but even the _thought_ of the frustration made him ill. He already couldn't handle it now; the prospect of enduring it for even a minute longer, let alone an entire day, loomed before him like a sickening abyss. And damn him, only excited him more.

"Pray to Ghestruel, if you can," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, fixing Vada with a ferocious glare. "If you're not too busy rutting yourself, that is. You will need all of the Angel's guidance that you can get."

Didn't they, some distant part of Vada thought. Didn't they need it more, these Hierophants who had tormented him every day for the past three years...

But he was a demon, an enemy of Ghestruel. Maybe the way they were treating him was right.

 _If so, then they're my enemy,_ whispered Hal's voice in Vada's mind, making tears sting Vada's eyes.

"Have a nice day, dear Vada," said Hierophant Pember, light and teasing. "As fun as it has been to play with you, we've got classes to teach."

"Behave," said Shell. "At the end of the day, I might take that off."

"You can't always get what you want," added Pember, and suddenly Vada wanted to _hit_ him. He had never, not _once,_ gotten what he wanted.

Except those rare, blissful few moments he'd stolen with Hal...

Well, even that was more than he deserved, wasn't it?

The Hierophants left, only the Lord Superior Hierophant stopping to throw a troubled glance back at Vada. When light flooded the Sanctum, Vada cringed. Stars swam in his vision. He'd been locked in the dimness of the Sanctum for so long.

Then the darkness returned. The Hierophants were well and truly gone.

 _Now's my chance,_ Vada thought, but his chance to do what? He was trapped, desperate with need. Even so, he tried to move. His arms were bound, but his legs weren't. He struggled to push himself up against the altar so he was sitting up, at least, but it was hard. The altar surface had a slope that he had to fight against and was too smooth to allow him much traction. Worse, whenever his tender, still-sore ass and thighs brushed the smooth metal, a twinge shot through his cock. He groaned and sobbed and soon began rubbing his thighs together in a mad bid to release some of the pleasure overwhelming him, but of course nothing would sate him unless he could get that damn ring off.

How much time passed, Vada couldn't say. The world shrank to just the altar, to his own rasping breaths, to the intolerable need sweeping in sickening waves through his entire body. His cock was dribbling precum but it wasn't enough, he needed to _cum._ He made a few mad attempts to free his hands from the statue's arms, but their grip was so tight he only bruised himself by pulling against them.

In his need, Vada lost himself in fantasies of Hal. Hal trailing kisses down his spine. Licking around the rim of his asshole. Thrusting inside him, strong and deft and sure. Vada thrust his own hips, but his hole remaining achingly empty, even as he dripped lube all over the altar.

 _Sickening, disgusting_ \- but he was past caring. He needed, wanted, to see Hal again. Whatever happened to Hal was all his fault. He had to make it right.

As he flailed and struggled on the altar, his fantasies transformed, no longer just memories of things Hal had done to him. He was picturing himself in Hal's lap, wearing the same maid uniform that Rhys so loved, and Hal was running his hands across Vada's ass, plucking at the panties and garters, but it was so different - his touch wasn't hungry and possessive, but almost worshipful. _Holy,_ Hal had called sex with him, and at the time Vada had thought it insane, but perhaps he had the slightest inkling of what Hal meant now. He rubbed his ass against the altar, feeling the pain flare anew through the cane marks, and in his fantasy the cane was in Hal's hands, and when he paused to touch Vada's hole with the tip he wasn't mocking Vada, but teasing him.

Why? Why did he feel like it would be completely different if Hal did those things to him?

Well, the answer was obvious, and it wasn't just that Hal loved him. It was that Hal respected his wishes, never did anything that he didn't want. If, if he did those things with Hal, it would be because _he_ wanted to, not because he was a toy for Hal to play with.

The thought made his cock throb even harder. The ring had clamped down so tight now it hurt. Vada whimpered and moaned, the sound echoing throughout the Sanctum. He was past caring that he was polluting the Sanctum with his presence. The Hierophants were the ones who had dragged him here in the first place, tied him down and done those things to him.

As Vada squeezed his eyes shut, desperately trying to banish thoughts of Hal touching him, groping him, fucking him, spanking him, he heard a soft voice in the back of his head, barely louder than a brush of air.

_Vada._

Vada froze. Very rarely did Xargo ever actually speak to him through their psychic link; he more used the link to sense his companion beast's whereabouts. And vice versa.

 _Are you in the Sanctum?_ Xargo's voice continued.

Vada squeezed his eyes shut. _Yes,_ he thought back.

_Then I will send Pency through the tubes for you._

_Pency?_ Vada quivered in surprise.

_She is with me. We are going to get you out of here, Vada._

_Who is 'we?'_ Hope welled in Vada's chest as he added, _Is this Hal's idea?_

_Hallert Thorner is imprisoned in the Right Eye. His friends came up with this plan._

_Are you...are you certain?_ Vada trembled. He didn't want to believe that this was happening, that this was real. That - that there would be people who would actually want to save him. _If you are caught -_

_You are my master, Vada. I would do anything for you._

Vada's breath caught. It took all his effort to not start crying, because he feared if he did he'd never stop. All his life, he'd believed only his mother stood beside him, and even she had no idea of the true torment he had to live through. Xargo was his companion, yes, but Vada had always carefully kept the knowledge of his daily degradations from the night-dragon. Night-dragons respected a strong master more than anything. If Xargo found out about Vada's weakness...

But he'd found out, and he still wanted to help Vada. _Thank you,_ Vada thought, swallowing sobs. _With all my heart, thank you._

He didn't hear a reply, but it didn't bother him; already Xargo had spoken more than he did in a month. Vada collapsed back against the altar, letting out a deep breath. He was still bound, still erect, but he strained not to lose himself in sexual fantasies again. At the very least, when Pency arrived he wanted to compose himself as much as he could. Not just because he was ashamed, but for her sake as well.

Yet it was more difficult than he anticipated. When even the faint movement of the air against his skin made him hotter and more agitated, controlling himself was a lost cause. He was already rubbing himself against the altar in a mad attempt to relieve some of the pleasure when a tiny pink ball burst out of one of the brass tubes along the Sanctum walls.

Vada fell still, heart slamming. Shame twisted his stomach. For Pency to see him like this...

"Oh!" Her tiny black eyes welled with tears. "Oh, Vada! What happened to you?"

"Just...just...," Vada said through gritted teeth, struggling to sit up as much as he could manage. "My sword..."

Dark Star lay abandoned on the floor, after all. The hilt was still coated in his lube but he couldn't do anything about it.

"I'm going to bring it to Hal," Pency announced, startling Vada.

"What?"

"Xargo is already bringing Hal your armor. Rodmont and Cinda are planning on busting Hal out of there."

"What?" Vada jerked as far upright as he could manage. "Wait, Hal is going to - his friends _agreed_ to - if they help him, they'll be expelled - "

"They really are his friends, you know." Pency fluttered an excited circle. "And so am I! I'm going to do my best to help him. And to help you."

"It d-doesn't bother you, that you're breaking the rules like this..."

"The only rules that matter are in your own heart!" Pency puffed up. "My mama said that to me, once. I didn't really get it, but now I think I do!"

"Pency." Incredibly, despite everything, Vada managed a real, genuine smile. Relief was surging inside him.

"Hang in there, Vada!" Pency squeaked as she dove and picked up Dark Star with her sucker legs. "Hal will come save you!"

Not long ago, Vada would have sneered and asked how the worst Devotee in the Centarium could possibly do anything to help him, but that was before Hal had burned down the Lord Superior Hierophant's office for his sake. Hal might not have much in the way of skill, but he had conviction, and it could carry him quite far. And honestly, he was probably in a better condition for fighting at the moment.

As for what would happen after he set Vada free...

Well, that would come later.

"Thank you, Pency," Vada said. "Please hurry."

"Um, is there anything I can do for you right now?" Pency squeaked.

Vada blushed, crossing his legs in a vain attempt to hide his erection. "I'm - I'm fine. I'll hold out."

"Okay!" Flapping her wings furiously, Pency made her way back up into a pipe. For a moment Vada feared that Dark Star wouldn't fit up the pipe, but Pency maneuvered so she was dangling the sword beneath her. Soon, both she and Dark Star disappeared up the pipe, leaving Vada alone again.

But this time, he felt infinitely lighter. He was still bound, still desperately in need, but he was no longer alone. If he thought about it, a few students and companion beasts still couldn't take on the Lord Superior Hierophant, but at the very least they were trying. For his sake.

The least he could do was have faith in them.

Vada closed his eyes and whispered a prayer. Not a formal benediction to Ghestruel, but one of the many elf prayers his mother had taught him. A wish for his friends' happiness, wealth, and safety.

* * *

Hal was still pacing mad circles when he heard an incessant banging and thumping at the wall. Instantly he ran to the source of the sound and pried out the small circle he had cut into the wall earlier.

Hal had done it by disassembling the room chair and sharpening a nail. He was a Rusaida warrior; anything could be a weapon in his hands. The hole revealed the internal plumbing of the Centarium, including pipes wide enough for Pency to fit through.

She flapped through now, red-faced and breathing hard. And no wonder; attached to her suckers was a long sword with a black sheath and a jet stone in the hilt. Hal bolted upright.

She really had brought him Dark Star.

This was insane, but the plan that Cinda and Rodmont (and apparently, Xargo, though Hal still halfway doubted the night-dragon could speak) had concocted was actually _working._ All the pieces were coming together. Rodmont had already brought him the left gauntlet of Vada's armor set, after using all the Architecturalist powers at his disposal to disguise it as his school bag. Hal had tucked the gauntlet under his bed.

Now he had Vada's sword. It was time.

"Thanks so much, Pency," Hal whispered, squishing his companion into a hug. Then he set her on the bed for her to rest and gently took Dark Star from her.

To his surprise, the sword smelled of Vada, faintly of plums. The hilt was also a bit slick, and Hal's heart jumped when he realized what the liquid must be. Had the Hierophants been using the sword to -

Hal imagined running them through with Dark Star, a nice bloody Hierophant skewer. The thought cheered him as he wiped off the hilt.

But now for the moment of truth. Could he even wear Vada's armor?

His friends had conspired to bring him Vada's armor because they figured it was the only way Hal stood even the slightest chance. Rodmont had once briefly gotten to work on Dark Star, and he spoke of the raw power he could feel inside the metal just by touching it. It was the most powerful set of armor a student in the Centarium owned.

Probably not enough to fight the Lord Superior Hierophant's Contemplatist powers, but it would serve to bust Hal out of the Right Eye of Ghestruel.

Now, to see if Dark Star would activate for him.

He already had enough trouble activating the shitty-ass school armors, after all; why would an armor as powerful as Dark Star deign to listen to him? The more powerful an armor, the more personality it had, and usually that personality was prideful and stubborn and unwilling to accept anyone except the most worthy as a bearer. Hal knew many things about himself, and chief of those was that he was not worthy of much of anything.

But he didn't care. He didn't need to be worthy. He just needed to save Vada.

Hal strapped on the gauntlet, then picked up the sword. Already he could feel the power beneath the metal, nothing like the faint flickers he sometimes got from school armor. It was like a heartbeat, a pulse, making his head light.

He suddenly felt _wrong._ Like he shouldn't be doing this at all.

 _This is temporary,_ he reminded himself. _I'm returning this armor to its rightful wielder._

He held the sword, drew in a deep breath. He thought of Vada - Vada's smiles and kindness and beauty and misery and tears and honor and fierce, unshakable pride. He thought of his own feelings for Vada, the overpowering desire to stay by Vada's side and see him through anything, to shoulder at least _some_ of his burden.

He thought of the Hierophants so smugly gloating about raping Vada for the past three years. Vada's own words about he didn't deserve love because he was an incubus. His hands shook with rage and he almost dropped Dark Star. Instead, he held on tighter.

"Descend," Hal said, "the endless night."

For a heartbeat, he feared that nothing would happen, and he'd have to say the stupid phrase again. But then he felt something, a shift in the heartbeat - not quite speeding up, but like it had changed its focus. Like it was noticing him for the first time.

And the armor began to glow with blue light. Hal watched, round-eyed, as it spread from that one gauntlet up his arm, then to his shoulders, then down across his chest and his other arm and his hips and legs. The black plates covered him, bristling with spikes, but to his surprise they weren't heavy; in fact, he didn't feel like he was wearing anything atop his school uniform. If anything, he felt lighter than he usually did.

At last the helmet slid in place, and the visor fell down with a metallic clank, so Hal's vision was filtered through a grill. Annoyed, Hal flipped it up.

He walked around for a bit, breathlessly examining himself, shuddering with amazement. _He was wearing Vada's armor._ And it fit him so well, even though it had been built for someone taller than him, though the best armors could customize themselves based on the wearer's size. Each step he took, he clanked a bit, but he also felt light and free enough to fly.

Power was thrumming through each of his veins, that same heartbeat. It was the armor's consciousness, and right now it wanted the exact same thing that Hal did: to rescue its master.

"Wow, Hal!" Pency squeaked. "You look amazing."

Hal flashed her a wink. Then he turned toward the tightly locked entrance of Ghestruel's Right Eye.

"Okay, show me what you can do, Dark Star." Hal pointed the sword. "We're getting the hell out of here!"

He channeled his miraculous energy, drawing from the same rage that had animated him back in the office, and to his amazement flames surged down the blade of the sword. Rather than red, the flames were a brilliant blue. Even his attacks changed color to match the armor, huh.

Hal charged for the door and stabbed. The miracle-augmented blade sliced through the door with barely any resistance. Hal jabbed to the side, slicing a line through the thick metal. Heat wafted from it as it melted beneath the burning blade, glowing bright red.

Soon Hal had carved a circle through the door just like he had done to the wall. He gave the circle of metal a push, and it tumbled out and fell its slow way through the clouds gathered densely around Ghestruel.

Hal jumped out of the hole.

Dark Star couldn't allow him to fly, but that didn't matter because a night-dragon with long, sleek, translucent wings flew up to meet him. Xargo wasn't big enough to ride, but he snatched Hal by the shoulders with his wickedly sharp claws, piercing through the armor. Hal swung in his grip, laughing at the sudden weightless sensation of floating in midair with the ground far below him - not that he could see it through the clouds.

"The Sanctum," Hal shouted up at Xargo. "Take me there!"


	27. Chapter 27

As Vada finished cycling through every elf prayer that he knew, he became aware that something had changed. A tinny, alarmed shout filtered through one of the brass tubes, making Vada sit upright, heart pounding.

He'd never heard a voice through the tubes before, even though he knew they could be used to communicate with the entire Centarium.

No doubt, Hal had escaped.

Vada couldn't just sit back and do nothing. Again he strained against the statue; again it refused to let him go. He bit down a moan as his cock bounced. It was so hard, so hard to think through the pleasure knifing through him, but he strained to do so anyway.

If he couldn't use his body to escape, then his powers. His lightning. In this state he wasn't sure if he could center himself enough to call the miraculous energy, but he'd never know if he didn't try. He drew in a deep breath, feeling his chest expand, and tried not to pay attention to his aching cock, to his dripping wet insides, to anything except his mind and heart and his connection to the lightning that dwelled in the clouds all around him, even if he couldn't see them.

He could sense that it was a cloudy day, that the air was charged and electric with possibilities. Perfect conditions for summoning lightning.

Just as Vada prepared to reach for the lightning, to turn possibility into certainty, the entrance of the Sanctum clanked open. And the Lord Superior Hierophant marched inside, fury blazing across every line of his body.

Behind him were Hierophants Pember and Shell, and they were dragging someone between them. Someone who Vada didn't recognize - and he did a double take, for the person was wearing his armor. Except they were shorter than him and missing the cape...

As the person entered, they lifted their head. Vada saw the dark eyes, the brown skin, the mouth pressed into a fierce line of conviction. His heart skipped several beats.

_Hal._

So they really had gone through the plan. Given Hal Vada's armor and weapon, and it worked - he could wear it.

But the Hierophants had caught him anyway.

"The stubborn fool," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, "will not take it off."

"Let him go," Hal said, low and dangerous. He fixed his eyes on Vada and Vada shrank back, suddenly ashamed that Hal should see him like this, especially when Hal made such a regal figure in Dark Star.

"You have no right to speak," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. Shell and Pember pushed Hal forward, forcing him down to his knees. As Shell moved, Vada saw that he had a chain clenched in one giant fist, and the chain lead to a heavy metal collar around the throat of a night-dragon whose wings were trussed to his sides.

Vada pulled himself as far upright as he could manage. "Xargo," he gasped.

He could _sense_ his companion's bitter disappointment, along with Hal's. And it made something twist in Vada's stomach, something that had nothing to do with the damn pleasure trapped inside him. If they got hurt because they'd been trying to rescue him - if they _suffered_ because of _him -_

"Don't hurt them," he said, tugging as hard as he could against the statue's arms. "Please, I'll do anything. Don't hurt them. It was my idea, I was foolish, I know, I d-didn't accept my punishment like a good boy - "

"Shut up!" Hal yelled, shocking Vada. "It was my fault, okay?"

The Lord Superior Hierophant sneered. "How noble. Take off that armor. You don't deserve it."

"What a disobedient beast," Shell rumbled, tugging yard on Xargo's chain; the night-dragon let out a hiss, making Vada's panic thrum higher. "Going against all its training to defy the Centarium itself..."

"Fuck the Centarium, none of you deserve any respect," Hal hissed.

The Lord Superior Hierophant glared at Hal, long and cold and hard. It made the hairs rise all across Vada's skin. A cold knot twisted in his stomach, almost displacing the built-up pleasure.

"Please," Vada said, gasping in panic. "Please, I'll t-take any punishment, I swear, I was foolish, this is all my fault - "

"I don't believe you, Vada," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, slow and terrible.

 _"Please!_ Anything, anything for you, sir - "

"You'll have to earn it. Make me _believe_ it." The Lord Superior Hierophant fixed Hal with an ugly glare, as if Hal were something that had climbed out from beneath a rock. "Because right now, I do believe this show is all for this pathetic failure's benefit."

 _He's not pathetic, he's not a failure,_ Vada thought with a sudden burst of fury. Dark Star itself had seen Hal worthy of wearing it - an honor he doubted his armor would ever grant the Lord Superior Hierophant.

Truly, Hal was the bravest, strongest person who Vada had ever met. Why had he ever believed Hal to be a loser and a failure? No, in the end, he'd been the fool, unable to see past the strictures of propriety that had bound him for all these years.

And to what end? What good had it done him in the end, keeping his head down and following the rules like a good boy?

Just endless suffering.

Vada continued his futile struggle against the restraints as the Lord Superior Hierophant pushed Hal aside and marched toward him. He swept his arms out, and Vada sensed a charge in the air; an invisible barrier forming that divided the room in half.

On one half, Shell and Pember and Hal and Xargo. On the other, just Vada alone with the Lord Superior Hierophant.

"The boy thinks he loves you," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, his voice low and dangerous, as he approached Vada. "But he does not understand what you really are."

_He does, he does, he knows that I am far more than an incubus, that I am far more than just your slut or plaything -_

The Lord Superior Hierophant's hand closed around a fistful of Vada's hair, and tugged. Vada gasped in pain. A harder tug, and Vada was forced to look into the Lord Superior Hierophant's eyes, cold and hard as ice.

"You are an _incubus._ You are not anybody's savior, you are not anybody to admire. In the end, you are alive only because you _amuse_ me."

His other hand reached out, stroked an arc across Vada's chest. Vada couldn't bite down a moan in time, nor could he stop himself from arching his back, leaning into the Lord Superior Hierophant's touch.

Nor could he stop his cock from leaping. It was so hard it hurt now. "P-please," he began.

"This is all you live for. This is all you crave." The Lord Superior Hierophant danced his fingertips lower, his dry, papery skin scraping against Vada's. Vada strained to hold himself still, to not react to his touches, but it was so hard. Even those faint sensations on his sweat-slick skin made the heat roar anew inside him. How, how had he _handled_ it all this time?

"I will teach you. Once and for all, I will teach you your _proper_ place, incubus." The Lord Superior Hierophant's hand closed around Vada's cock. Vada keened, writhed, bucked his hips madly. He wanted to get away - no, he wanted to get his cock into the Lord Superior Hierophant's hands -

Then the Lord Superior Hierophant's fingers closed around the ring and _yanked_ it up. Vada cried aloud and blubbered as the painful pressure stopped squeezing his cock. It jumped madly, the Lord Superior Hierophant squeezed it, and his orgasm struck him with the force of a blow, knocking all the air out of his body. He jerked and spasmed against the altar, and each touch of his skin against the metal drove more knives of pleasure through him, made him cum harder. His cum splashed the front of the Lord Superior Hierophant's robes, and the Lord Superior Hierophant's eyes narrowed in disgust.

But Vada was past caring. He collapsed against the altar, not caring if the position strained his arms, completely out of breath. He couldn't even make a single sound as the Lord Superior Hierophant gestured and the metal hands around his wrists finally let go.

His arms, aching, heavy, and numb, dropped down to his sides. Livid dark bruises encircled each wrist.

The Lord Superior Hierophant grabbed him by the hips, lifting him, turned him around. Then gave his cock a tremendous jerk. Vada whimpered as he felt himself hardening again.

"Getting hard already?" The Lord Superior Hierophant laughed mirthlessly and slapped his ass, sending another jolt of pleasure through his cock.

"Stop! Stop it, stop! Stop hurting him!" Through the barrier Hal's voice was muffled, but it reached Vada's ears anyway. Vada stiffened. He tried to turn to see Hal, but the Lord Superior Hierophant grabbed his hair and pushed his head down, so that he was practically mashing his nose into the statue of Ghestruel.

 _"Hurting?"_ The Lord Superior Hierophant laughed. "Does this look like it's hurting him?"

"Does he want it?" Hal screamed. "Does he? Or do you just do whatever the hell _you_ want because you don't see him as a person, just a toy for your pleasure?"

"Do you want this, Vada?" The Lord Superior Hierophant whispered into Vada's ear, low and smoky.

Vada shook his head madly. Another laugh from the Lord Superior Hierophant. "We'll have you change your tune soon enough. You don't have to try to impress your _boyfriend_ for longer."

He moved behind Vada. Vada trembled, wishing he could turn around to see what the Lord Superior Hierophant was going to do to him. Then he felt cold fingers probe his entrance.

Vada's spine locked in place. The Lord Superior Hierophant had _never_ touched him there. Was he - was he about to fuck Vada for the first time?

 _Let it come,_ Vada thought furiously, biting the inside of his cheek. _I can handle it._

_Then I'll make it right to Hal, somehow. Because he went on this foolish quest to save me - if he gets hurt -_

All thought was driven from his mind when he felt something press against his entrance. Not the Lord Superior Hierophant's cock. It felt...cold. A little damp, like it was melting. Vada tried to crawl forward and away from it; no he was angling his ass back to meet it.

It slid inside with barely any resistance. Something round, but not uncomfortably large. And it was melting as it slid down his passage.

As it melted, the cold liquid coated his slick, heaving muscles and little tingles spread through his entire body. Vada bit his lip, struggling to hold back the moan that threatened to arise, but it was so _hard,_ especially as the pleasure built. It came upon him slowly, maddeningly slow, waves descending over his body and scraping his insides bare. His thighs trembled.

"This is a concentrated dose of a particular aphrodisiac potion that is brewed with an incubus' fluids," said the Lord Superior Hierophant. "It's reacting to your own fluids, which will amplify the effect. I have seen this used on incubi and succubi before. Always, without fail, after it runs its course, they are so maddened with pleasure that they lose all rational thought. They become the _beasts_ they truly are."

He climbed behind Vada, put his hands on Vada's hips. The pressure of his fingers on Vada's skin was unbearable; it shot right through Vada's skin into his flesh and blood and into his cock, which was already so hard it was pressed flat to his stomach. Madly Vada thrust his hips back, trying to get closer to the Lord Superior Hierophant, to get more of that contact.

"I don't know what will happen to _you,_ Vada Imilai _._ Is your discipline stronger than this drug?" A low, unpleasant chuckle. "Somehow, I don't think it is. I _will_ turn you into my personal pleasure slave at the end of this. You will live for nothing but my cock. You will cry and beg and plead for it every moment you do not have it. I will be able to control you with a but a word, because you will no longer have thoughts in your head. You will only have one thing: the need for sex."

"N-no," Vada gasped out, trying to move away from the Lord Superior Hierophant. But the pleasure was still spreading through him, scraping in slow waves through his muscles, hot and prickling and unbearable. The drug melted faster and faster, and Vada began to writhe, squirming back and forth, madly trying to do something, _anything,_ to relieve the desperation twisting through his entire body.

"Of course, you won't be able to become the Chosen One, or even a Saint, after that. You'll just be my personal whore," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, infernally conversational. "Ah well. It's what you're best suited for, anyway."

Dimly, through the haze of pleasure and past the Lord Superior Hierophant's horrible voice, Vada heard Hal shouting - but it was so, so dim. So faint. Then the Lord Superior Hierophant stroked his ass, barely touching Vada's skin with his fingertips, and Vada groaned as a jolt shot through his cock, just as much as if the Lord Superior Hierophant had actually started fucking him.

Except he _hadn't,_ and that was the worst thing about it. His insides were gaping, so empty, without a cock inside. He began to buck his hips backwards, whimpering and groaning, "In-inside, inside, p-please, need to be filled."

"Do you? But your little _boyfriend_ seems convinced you don't want this."

 _I don't, I don't, it's the drug,_ but that voice was very small indeed. Vada couldn't trust himself to speak. He kept pushing his hips back, hoping to convince the Lord Superior Hierophant without words.

No such luck. "Do you want this, Vada Imilai? Beg for my cock, if you want it that badly."

 _I won't!_ Vada bit his lip until he tasted blood, but that didn't stop him from moving his hips, from trying to rub his cock against the slick cold metal of the altar. The damn drug was melting at an infernally slow rate; he could feel the liquid sinking slowly into the spongy surface of his prostate, making it feel like he was itching and tickling and burning from his very core. He needed something, _anything_ to relieve it -

A voice, thundering. "Beg for my cock. Beg for it, incubus."

Yes, why would it be so bad if he did? Right now, right now, that was all he wanted, all he needed. If he went without a cock inside for even a second longer, he'd - he didn't know what. He might fall apart. Drop dead on the spot. His empty asshole was gaping like an open wound, so painful. If only it could be filled up...

"Y-your cock," he blubbered, tears running down his face. "Want your cock."

"Say it again. What do you want?"

"Your cock! I want your cock inside me, it's all I want, p-please, please please - "

"Are you a Saint, Vada Imilai? Or are you my sex slave?"

"I, I - " _I'm a Saint._ But that answer wouldn't get him the cock he needed. "Y-your sex slave, yours forever, I swear, I swear - "

"I knew you'd see reason." Chuckling, the Lord Superior Hierophant moved forward. Eager, so eager he couldn't stand it, Vada shuffled backwards and lifted his ass and spread his thighs, anything to make it easier.

"Yes, yes, cock, I want your cock, stuff me with your cock," he found himself babbling, saliva dripping from his lips. "All I want is your cock, it's all I need. I'll die without a cock in me. I want to be fucked, I want to be fucked now and forever."

"At last," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, "you acknowledge your true nature."

He climbed behind Vada, and the tip of his cock prodded Vada's entrance.

Vada tossed his head back and moaned. This - this - he'd never felt anything this good in his life. The throbbing hot skin against his slick and pulsing entrance, what else could possibly compare?

Aside from it inside him. He pushed his hips back even further, whimpering as he begged, mindless words dropping from his lips. "In, in, want it in me, want, need, please, oh please."

"You are not a Saint." The Lord Superior Hierophant's voice was low with amusement. "That was a pretty show, wasn't it? All those years, pretending...but here you are, laid bare."

"Mm, mm." Vada thrust his hips back. "In me, _please!"_

"Vada! Stop! It's the drug, it's not you - "

Hal's voice. So distant. But it sparked something in Vada's chest, something painful.

Before Vada could think harder on it, the Lord Superior Hierophant's fingers sank in, sharp nails digging into his skin, and he thrust his way inside.

Vada screamed, high and thin, as the Lord Superior Hierophant stretched him from the inside, as his muscles clenched down tight around that wonderful thick cock filling him up, filling him so perfectly. Almost, almost as perfectly as Hal's, and who did it matter, who cared if the cock was Hal's or anybody else's, as long as it was a cock inside him...

Then the Lord Superior Hierophant's cock hit the still melting drug, and the pleasure that seared through Vada's body was unbearable. He was coming undone, every muscle unraveling from the bone. He screamed and screamed until his voice broke, pushed and ground hard against the cock, trying to make it press against the drug forever, because it was the best sensation in the world, even better - even better -

_Even better than when Hal held him and said he loved him and told Vada that none of this was his fault, when Hal had burned down the office and stood against the men who had abused Vada all these years -_

His orgasm burned, so painful. He flopped and writhed as cum sprayed across the already sticky surface of the altar. The Lord Superior Hierophant was still in him. He thrust, long and slow and savage, and Vada wailed in combined pain and pleasure as his tight, sensitive insides massaged the Lord Superior Hierophant's cock.

"Let's see how many more orgasms I can wring from you, my pretty pet."

"Wanna be fucked," Vada gasped out through his sobs. "Forever. Want a cock in me forever."

"I'll be happy to indulge," said the Lord Superior Hierophant with a low chuckle. Another vicious thrust made Vada's thighs tremble. His cock was already rapidly hardening. He reached his hands down, wanting to rub it, but the Lord Superior Hierophant slapped his hands away.

"Not without my permission. You don't do anything without my permission. You are my slave. I give you the orgasms you so crave, and you give me your unquestioning obedience, understood?"

Hal had told him it didn't matter if he came, if in his mind he didn't want it, then it was rape. Did he want it now? He couldn't tell, wasn't sure anymore, wasn't sure of anything but the crackling, mind-numbing pleasure...

_"Vada! Vada! Don't listen to him! Fight back! You're stronger than this, I know you are!"_

_I'm sorry, Hal,_ Vada thought as he ground down on the Lord Superior Hierophant's cock. _This is what I really am. In the end, it's all I..._

Hal was watching his humilation, and so was Xargo, and they were seeing his true self. The pain in his chest grew. Hal, the first person in the world to say he loved him. Who had worn Vada's armor and gone through all this effort to save him. How could he - he was dishonoring Hal by doing this -

No, that was the prideful Saint Vada Imilai thinking, it wasn't Vada the whore, the slut, the _incubus._ It wasn't his true self. Just a show.

Except, except Hal had said it was his true self, and at the time Vada had accepted his words because he'd agreed, because they had felt right. If he truly didn't have any pride then why did he hate it so much when he was violated? Why did he strive so hard to be the best he could be if his pride was really just a sham?

Then the Lord Superior Hierophant climbed up on the altar behind him and leaned over him, and this angle drove his cock deeper than ever inside Vada, until he was slamming down hard against Vada's prostate, slick with the completely melted drug. Vada sputtered, writhing beneath the pleasure.

"When you cum again, I know you'll lose your mind," breathed the Lord Superior Hierophant into his ear. His tongue flicked out, traced the pointed tip, and this made Vada writhe harder. "Forget it all. All your worries, all your thoughts. Become what you were always meant to be."

 _My dear future Chosen One,_ whispered his mother.

 _Filthy cum-slut whore,_ whispered Thelm Ruever.

 _My pretty toy,_ whispered Rhys Feyler. _My personal cum dumpster,_ whispered Gavidio Damascanara. _Mine, mine forever,_ whispered Garret Ruever.

 _Vada,_ whispered Hal. _I like and respect you more than anyone else in the Centarium._

Hal's voice was louder than all the rest, displacing them. One by one the whispers fluttered away and there was only Hal, speaking to him. All the times Hal had spoken to him, from the very beginning.

Hal had understood, Hal had seen something that nobody else had seen. He'd helped Vada from the very beginning and it didn't lower his opinion of Vada. And he'd told Vada so many things that made so much sense, yet nobody had ever said to him before. _Sex isn't a reward. Do you actually like sex, Imilai, or is it something you do for other people?_

_I'm in love with you._

_The prideful Saint, Devotee, Chosen One, whatever, that's who you want to be. It's who you strive to be with everything you have._

_I like how cool and commanding you are, but also how kind and helpful you can be too. I know it's not just a front._

_I don't give a shit what the Angel thinks about you. I think you're great._

_How dare you hurt Vada!_

Even as he thrust his hips against the Lord Superior Hierophant's, even as the Lord Superior Hierophant fucked him with long, vicious thrusts, Vada was reaching his arms out, reaching for the statue of Ghestruel. His hands closed around its lower two Arms. The Arm of Fashioning and the Arm of the Sublime Voice. He gripped them tight, the cold metal digging into his palms, and held on for dear life. Forced himself to focus on that sensation, not the maddening, sickening pleasure threatening to wipe his mind blank.

The Lord Superior Hierophant was right. If he came now, he would cease to be. Vada Imilai would disappear. He would become the Lord Superior Hierophant's sex slave, his _toy,_ in truth.

"G-great Ghestruel," Vada gasped out in between thrusts. "Please, please, hear me."

_If you can't save me, then save Hal. Save him from seeing me like this._

His cock jumped and bounced madly with every thrust now, and the pleasure was wiping his vision out. Sweat rolled into his eyes, stinging like tears. He was so close - so close - mad little pleas bubbled out of his throat. If he only could just cum...

He wouldn't. Not - not before he - he still had something to do -

For Hal's sake. For Xargo's, for Pency's, for his mother, for Hal's friends, for everyone in the world who actually cared about him.

Who saw not the perfect Saint, nor the whore of an incubus, but just _Vada Imilai._

"D-descend," he gasped, gripping the arms even tighter as the longest thrust yet made his entire body quiver. "Descend - the endless - _night."_

A shocked gasp. He heard clanking foosteps. Hal running toward him. Something came flying through the air at him; he pinpointed it by sound alone.

He let go of the Arm of Fashioning and extended his hand and the hilt of his sword smacked his palm. He gripped it tight, then swung it as hard as he could - directly at the Lord Superior Hierophant.

The Lord Superior Hierophant pulled out of him with a startled cry. Ignoring the aching emptiness that stabbed him, Vada swung himself off the altar and lunged. Hal ran up to meet him, Hierophants Shell and Pember unconscious on the floor behind him. The armor pieces were already flying off Hal's body, rushing back toward their rightful master.

As they snapped into place upon Vada, a powerful rush of certainty pulsed through him, almost - but not quite - erasing the pleasure threatening to drive him mad. Finally his cape flared in place behind him, and he whirled upon the Lord Superior Hierophant.

The Lord Superior Hierophant's hard cock was still out, still red and throbbing and wet with Vada's fluids and the drug. The sight of it made Vada's cock twinge, uncomfortable inside the armor, but he forced down that sensation with every ounce of self control he possessed.

And he _did_ have self control. He _didn't_ exist just for sex.

"What, what," said the Lord Superior Hierophant, sputtering in his fury. "Shell - Pember - how did you, Thorner - "

"I'm a Rusaida warrior. I used a little trick called catching them by surprise. Neither of them is much of a physical fighter, I have to say," Hal said, winking. "Fuck your miracles. I'll make do with my own body."

Vada stepped up to Hal's side, thoughtlessly reached out his hand. Hal took it. His fingers molded around the intricate inlay in the armor, squeezing tight, and Vada smiled at Hal.

"Are you going to attack me, Vada?" snarled the Lord Superior Hierophant, slowly hauling himself up. "You would be making a mistake. Don't you want to cum? You were so close. It's all you want, isn't it? I can give it to you, I can give you the pleasure you need..."

"I don't _need_ it," said Vada, quiet and dangerous. "Perhaps you do, but I don't."

"Don't be absurd. You are an incubus."

"And you, Avaclus Dei, are a failure, a rapist, a walking _shame_ to your title of Lord Superior Hierophant." Vada pointed Dark Star at Avaclus Dei. "I, Saint Vada Imilai, will not allow your blasphemy to stand."

Dei's eyes widened - then his face flooded scarlet in fury. "You _dare! I_ am the blasphemer? It is you - the incubus Saint! I offer you a position far more befitting of your status and interests and _this_ is what you - "

"Besmircher of Ghestruel, I have no interest in anything else you have to say," Vada said, taking a careful, dangerous step forward. "Prepare to take your punishment."

To Vada's surprise, Dei chuckled, a low sound that dragged at Vada's gut; and sparked back to life the pleasure still throbbing inside him. "You? Punish me? You can't do anything against me. I am the ruler of the Centarium, you're just a student."

"I was Chosen by the Angel," Vada said, then added in a moment of inspired invention, "as They saw fit to inform me but moments before. I carry out Their judgment."

"What?" Hal whispered, and all the color drained from Dei's face.

"You heard...," he breathed, "you heard the Angel's voice?"

"Prepare for your judgment, Avaclus Dei." Vada extended Dark Star, then drew in a deep breath and called the miraculous energy suffusing the air all around him.

It swept through him in one great wave, far more powerful than the pleasure from the accursed drug. It set his hair on end and sparked through his every nerve and he almost couldn't hold it in - but he controlled it, for he was its master and commander, and it surged through his body and out his arm and into Dark Star.

The lightning crackled, flashing across the Sanctum. Avaclus Dei's heaving face looked truly terrible in the flickering light. Then it surged straight toward him, speared him through the chest, lifted him from his feet, slammed him into the statue of Ghestruel.

It was just like the time when he had defeated Thelm Ruever, except his power was amplified tenfold. Dimly he was aware that he was still gripping Hal's hand. Hal's presence grounded him, gave him strength and confidence, and he pumped more power and lightning through his sword until Dei was thrashing helpless as a caught fish.

"Vada," Hal said, his grip tightening. Vada nodded at him, smiled, and called off the lightning.

His vengeance was nearly complete.

He swung Dark Star, this time calling the miraculous energy residing in the blade, and the blade eagerly rushed to respond to its master. An energy slice of pure darkness lashed at Dei - or rather at his exposed cock.

Without mercy, the dark energy slashed through the appendage as easily as a knife through a sausage. The penis, still erect, hit the floor with a sickening squelch. Then Avaclus Dei began to keen, wailing as blood gushed from below his still-intact balls.

"Holy shit." Hal was grinning in delight. "Can we do that to those two assholes next?"

"Vengeance isn't the way of a Saint, you fool." Vada flicked Hal on the forehead.

"Uh, but you just chopped his dick off - "

"That was judgment. It's different."

Hal huffed, but his face was flushed with delight. Overcome, Vada bent down and caught his lips in a brief kiss before rounding on Avaclus Dei once more.

"Please answer my question, Avaclus Dei," Vada said, pointing Dark Star once more. "Do you believe you deserve to be the Lord Superior Hierophant of the Centarium?"

"You, damn you, incubus, demon," growled Dei.

"I asked a question. I expect an answer."

"You will pay, Ghestruel will strike you down - "

"I will pay? No, you are the only one here who deserves to pay. For _years_ of remorseless torture."

"You came, every time, no matter what," hissed Dei through his teeth. "You wanted it, whore."

"Avaclus Dei, I would have never slept with you if I had a free choice about it. If you weren't the ruler of the Centarium, if you didn't hold my future in your hands. If I met you on the street, I wouldn't even look twice at you." Vada's voice rose in his rage, despite himself. "Because of that, I'll call it what it really was: rape."

"Vada, you're amazing," Hal whispered, and the pride in his voice made Vada tremble.

Vada marched forward, kicking Avaclus Dei aside. He glared up at the statue of Ghestruel, terrible and implacable, and felt a strange emptiness in his chest. How easy, how nice it would be if he really was carrying out the Angel's judgment. But the Angel remained as distant and inscrutable as ever. They offered him nothing.

Which was fine. Vada didn't need it. Because he had something better to live for now.

But before he could turn around and walk away, he noticed - something. A flicker in the statue's eyes. Vada frowned, wondering if he was imagining things. He tilted his neck back, meeting the statue's eyes, just to be sure...

And his world rushed away into whiteness.

Vada let out a strangled cry, glancing wildly around. He couldn't see anything. Just this shining blank field of white. What had happened, where was -

Then a voice. A voice he had never heard before, but was as familiar to him as though it had spoken to him every day.

The Sublime Voice.

It had no gender, no age, no physical sound. But it resonated in his bones, in his very core.

_Saint Vada Imilai, my child. At last we meet._

Instantly Vada sank to his knees, driving Dark Star into the floor - well, whatever passed as a floor in this interminible whiteness - before him. "O Holy Nine-Armed Ghestruel, your loyal servant Saint Vada Imilai awaits your instruction."

He was trembling, his entire body. At last, _at last!_ What he had waited the past nine years for was finally coming true.

_The Angel was speaking to him._

The Angel chuckled, low and amused. _You are truly the strongest at the Centarium. I have indeed Chosen wisely._

Vada's head snapped up. He couldn't see the Angel, but it didn't matter. He'd heard what They had said well enough.

"Am I...am I really...the next Chosen One?" he said, soft with disbelief.

_Indeed you are. Now stand, my dear child. I have Chosen you to carry My Will in All the Nations Under My Arms._

"Great Ghestruel, it is - it is an honor - " Vada choked out, barely able to speak through the tears arresting his throat. Finally, _finally,_ after all these years, vindicating all his pain -

"Everything, Great Ghestruel, was it all in Your plan?" he burst out, unable to stop himself. "What the Lord Superior Hierophant and the others did, was it all to test me? Did I, did I pass?"

He must have, if the Angel was speaking to him now, but he _had_ to hear it in Their own words. He trembled, anticipation making him sick.

_It was not a test. But it was in my plan. It was your penance._

Vada's eyes snapped wide open. "What do You mean, penance?" he breathed.

_For your demonic nature. It could not be helped. You were to be the Chosen One. But first, you had to repent._

"Repent," Vada repeated like he'd never heard the word before.

_Your penance is not over, my dear child. Just as your demonic nature will be with you for your entire life, so you must repent for it your entire life._

"What do You mean?" Vada repeated, something dull and hollow beginning to fill his chest.

_You will give yourself to the Ignis Saints next. You will become a great hero. You will win glory. You will further My Will. But every night, you will offer the Ignis Saints what they desire. In return they will hold your secret. And you will make yourself holy in My light._

The Angel was speaking, Their words made sense on a basic verb-and-subject level, but...but...Vada wasn't comprehending them. His head was spinning.

_Speak, my child._

"Great Ghestruel," Vada said, his voice a horrified whisper, "when I - to the Lord Superior Hierophant - I wasn't carrying out Your judgment after all, was I?"

_You proved your strength._

"But You didn't want me to judge him. Because You think he was doing the right thing."

_He was helping you to repent. Of course, I did not want him to break your mind, so I am proud of your actions nonetheless._

"Helping me...repent," Vada said, low and dull. "That's what You call it, Nine-Armed One? Years of rape and abuse, you call that penance?"

_For your demonic nature._

"My being a demon...has it ever hurt anyone? Has it ever hurt anyone besides myself?" The more Vada spoke, the more that hollow feeling inside him disappeared - to be replaced by a growing rage. _Rage._ The entirely wrong emotion to feel in this moment, when he learned that he was indeed the Chosen One, but - but -

Even from Ghestruel, he couldn't stand hearing _this._

_It is against all I stand for._

"But it never has hurt anyone, has it? So what the hell do I have to repent for?"

_A demon has never been the Chosen One before. All demons are My enemies._

"I am not! My entire life, I devoted myself to You! I gave up everything for You, I thought in the end it would all be worth it because I was serving You - "

_And you are correct, my child._

"But," Vada continued, fury choking him. "But I never, _never_ saw it as penance. Just a test I had to pass. But it's _penance,_ You say? It's something I'll have to endure for the rest of my life?"

_As long as you are a demon, yes._

Vada drew in a deep breath. He thought of Hal, Hal telling him that he would make an enemy of anyone who couldn't see past Vada's nature as an incubus. _It's too abstract,_ Hal had said. Now, Vada understood what Hal had meant.

"With all due respect, Great Ghestruel," Vada said quietly, glaring straight into the center of the white void, " _fuck that."_

The Angel did not speak. Trembling from his daring, Vada continued. "You are wrong. I was born as a demon. I couldn't help it. It's not something I ever wanted. It's not a sin, a crime. It's not something I should _repent_ for. I am not who I was born as. I am what I choose to be, and I do _not_ choose to be an incubus."

_My child, you know not of what you speak._

"You are wrong," Vada said again, trembling from the sheer enormity of telling the _Angel_ that They were wrong. "You are wrong and Hal is right. In the end, even You can't see my true self. Hal saw it. So I will stand by his side. But You - "

_You are the Chosen One. It is your destiny._

Vada finally made himself say it. "Find another Chosen One."

Nine years. Nine years of pain and effort and struggle, all to uphold his dream. No, his mother's dream. Everybody else's expectations. If he did not become the Chosen One, he would break all of their hearts. Over time it had become almost a charm, a talisman for him. No matter what he suffered, he could endure it because in the future he would be the Chosen One.

Well, in the end, as the Chosen One he'd still be everybody's toy. He would still have to get on his knees and spread his legs and accept whatever the Ignis Saints gave him. And he would do it knowing that they had Ghestruel's approval.

He refused to live like that. Even if it meant he wouldn't follow everyone's expectations. Even if it meant he destroyed his mother.

In the end - and Hal had taught him this - he needed to live for himself too. To do something, for once, that _he_ wanted.

 _You know not of what you speak,_ Ghestruel said, more insistently.

"I do know. I have never been more certain, Nine-Armed One. If that is the life of a Chosen One, I refuse to be the Chosen One."

_It is your destiny._

"My destiny is to be with Hal," Vada said. "Will You stop me if I leave the Centarium? If I go with him?"

_I will not stop you. But you will be making the wrong choice._

Vada shook his head. "I don't think so."

_You will come back. I know you will. You will understand that you did wrong and you will return to My fold. You will beg for My mercy and I will grant it. All this I have foreseen._

For the third time, Vada said to Ghestruel, "You are wrong."

He turned around and walked away. Ghestruel did not stop him, and Vada did not look back.


	28. Chapter 28

"Vada! Vada!"

Hal shook Vada, his concern growing. Vada had just passed out in front of the statue of Ghestruel, and now he wasn't responding no matter how hard Hal shook him or called his name.

Xargo slinked up by Hal's side. "You may be making it worse," he said.

"Whoa." Hal's eyes rounded. "You _do_ talk!"

Xargo looked as annoyed as a night-dragon could be. "Of course I do."

Okay, this was interesting and all, but first things first Hal needed to do something about Vada. He was still in his full armor, but he was totally unconscious, and he looked frightfully pale. Hal brushed his hand along the curve of Vada's cheekbone, concern hammering in him like a second heartbeat.

Vada had been through a lot, but still, Hal hoped he'd wake up soon. They had to get out of here. Before the three unconscious Hierophants woke up. Because when they did, Hal knew there'd be hell to pay.

 _Let it come,_ Hal would have liked to say, but in truth he was in no position to fight the three Hierophants again. He'd only managed to beat Shell and Pember by sheer element of surprise, helped by the augmented strength Dark Star gave him, and then it had taken his remaining strength to break past the Contemplatist barrier the Lord Superior Hierophant had put across the Sanctum.

But Hal had tried, he'd strained with every muscle he had, all his might and resolve, because he couldn't stand the sight of the Lord Superior Hierophant fucking Vada senseless, saying those awful words, driving Vada _insane..._

And now Vada had chopped off the guy's dick. Hal couldn't have asked for a happier outcome.

If only Vada would wake up.

Just as the thought crossed Hal's mind, Vada's long eyelashes fluttered. Hal's heart leaped into his throat. He stared and stared as Vada's eyelids flickered open, revealing golden eyes that were bleary at first, but then fixed on Hal's face.

Then Vada sat smoothly upright and took the front of Hal's jacket in his hands and kissed Hal, long and full and deep.

Hal let Vada kiss him, his mind numb and spinning. Vada tasted so good, his tongue felt so good, but - but this was a little too much, too fast. When they broke apart, Hal grabbed Vada's shoulders, trying to avoid the spikes on his pauldrons, and looked him in the eye.

"Vada," Hal said, "are you okay?"

Vada gave a slow, shaky laugh. "I just told the Angel where to shove it. I couldn't be happier."

"Huh?" Had Vada gone crazy?

"The Angel." Vada breathed a laugh and brushed at a few loose strands of hair. "They spoke to me."

"The Angel spoke to you?" Hal's stomach flipped.

"They said that I was the next Chosen One."

"So you really are." Hal was surprised he wasn't more surprised, but then, everybody had been expecting it, right?

"I...I refused." Another breathy laugh. "I said no to the Angel. I told Them that They were wrong."

"Huh? What? Why?" Hal couldn't imagine the sight. For one thing, he couldn't imagine what the Angel's Sublime Voice even sounded like.

"Hal." Vada's face turned serious. "The Angel said that this was all...everything they had ever done to me...was my penance."

"Penance? For what?"

"For being a demon."

"The hell? That's absurd," Hal said, his heart hammering.

"And it wouldn't be over," Vada said quietly as he stood up, sweeping out his cape. "When I graduated, it wouldn't end. They said I had to endure this for the rest of my life. Because I could never change my demonic nature."

"The hell!" Hal burst out. His confusion was rapidly beginning to transform into rage. "Why make you the Chosen One if They hate you being a demon that much?"

"They seemed to believe They had no choice," Vada said. His voice hardened. "But I do. And I chose not to."

"But it's your dream," Hal said.

Vada shook his head slightly. "I don't think it ever was. It was just what everyone expected of me. If it was anyone's dream, it was my mother's."

"So...what are you going to do instead?" Hal was having trouble wrapping his mind around this whole idea. Perfect Vada Imilai, the Saint-in-Waiting and best Devotee the Centarium had ever seen, who lived for nothing more than his duty, had everything in place to follow and achieve his life's dream, unlike Hal. Hal couldn't imagine him doing anything else. It was like he'd been born to be the Chosen One.

Yet at a steep price, a price he was no longer willing to pay. A price Hal didn't want him to pay.

"I don't know." Vada shook his head. "But whatever it is, I'm going to do it with you, Hal."

"Vada." Hal's chest tightened. He'd never seen Vada's eyes like this before, as soft and gentle as midsummer sunlight. It was doing funny things to his heart.

"I mean," Vada said, suddenly shy, "if it's okay with you. If you're fine with leaving the Centarium...not continuing your studies..."

He looked so hangdog that Hal wanted to hug him, except he couldn't figure out how given all the spikes on the armor. Dark Star had helped Hal a lot, but now Hal started to hate it just a little bit.

"You know," Hal said, "I did think that if the Angel allowed this to happen to you, then I wouldn't want to serve Them anymore. Now I've learned that They not only allowed it, but _wanted_ it. There's no way I can stay here."

"But..." Vada looked ill at ease. "Rayton's dream..."

"Rayton had no idea. And he's dead. _You're_ not."

"Hal." Vada blinked hard, tears glistening on his eyelashes. Hal didn't have to think - he leaned up and kissed Vada, soft and gentle.

"I love you, Vada," Hal said. "I'll go with you, I promise."

"I...I..." Vada drew in a deep breath, looking more uncertain than Hal had ever seen him. "I love you too, Hal?"

Hal groaned. "Why is it a question?"

"Sorry, my voice just kind of - um, I'll say it again. I, I..." Vada's entire face was turning red, all the way to the tips of his ears. "L-love..."

Okay, this was starting to embarrass Hal a bit. He pushed at Vada's chest, making Vada stumble back, and said, "It's okay, I heard you the first time."

"Sorry," Vada mumbled to the floor. "I, I don't know why..."

"It's okay, pal. You can take your time."

"You really are too good to be true." A brief smile flashed across Vada's face.

"No," Hal said, "you're the one who's too good to be true. I mean, you told Ghestruel to shove it!"

Vada's smile widened. "I didn't phrase it like that exactly. But yes, that was my sentiment."

"Anywhere we want, Vada," Hal said, tugging on Vada's hand, leading him toward the exit of the Sanctum. He figured they'd spent enough time here. "Is there anywhere you want to start? Anywhere you've wanted to go to particularly?"

"I figured..." Vada looked uncomfortable. "I figured I ought to see my mother. Explain things, as best as I can."

"Are you going to tell her...?" Hal said, slow and cautious.

"I don't know." Vada shook his head. "But I can't just abandon her without telling her a thing, either."

"Well," Hal said, "you won't do it alone."

"I know. We won't be alone." Now Vada turned to smile at Xargo, who slinked up to his master's side. "We'll have Pency, and Xargo. And your two friends too, right?"

Hal started, then a grin spread across his face. "Yeah. I don't know if they'll want to finish their studies first, but we should definitely go to their wedding."

"They're going to get married? That seems a bit - well, sudden."

"I think so too, but I guess they were in love all along," Hal said. "Come on, let's go see them."

He tugged harder on Vada's hand. They walked through the Sanctum, past the unconscious Hierophants, the intricate networks of brass tubing, the murals of the past Chosen Ones on the walls. When they passed Nassat, Hal drew to a sudden stop, making Vada frown.

"Nassat," Hal said, flipping Nassat double birds, "you can go fuck yourself!"

Vada groaned. "Hal, you're so immature."

"Deal with it!"

"Yes, I..." Vada rubbed his forehead. "But you know, the sentiment is shared."

Smiling at each other, they walked out of the Sanctum and into the light.

* * *

Rodmont and Cinda were waiting on a medusid just outside the Sanctum. The instant Hal saw their faces, Pency came fluttering toward him, beating him in the face with her wings.

"Oh, Hal, Hal, are you okay, what happened in there, oh, Hal?"

"Ow, Pency! Pency, stop it!" Hal swiped randomly at the air, but couldn't catch the tiny, pesky Pency. "Pency!"

Then Cinda wrapped her hands around Pency, pulling the squealing minor-dragon back. "Hal," Cinda called over Pency's shrieks and sputters, "how did it go?"

She was anxiously scanning both him and Vada, perhaps for signs of injury or worse. Hal exchanged glances with Vada, not sure how to begin explaining what happened.

Vada said, "You had better call some Beneficers to heal the Lord Superior Hierophant."

 _Oh, come on,_ Hal wanted to protest, but he figured of course Mr. Perfect would let the Lord Superior Hierophant live. Actually, it might be a better punishment. Let the old guy go through the rest of his life dickless.

"But not Hierophants Pember and Shell," Hal added, deciding to indulge in at least a little bit of pettiness. Come on, didn't he have the right? "They can sleep just a little bit longer."

Cinda and Rodmont were staring at Hal and Vada as if the two of them had taken personality transplant potions. "Uh," Rodmont said. "Exactly what the hell did you two get up to in there?"

"We'll explain later," Hal said as he settled into the medusid. It was a four-seater, just barely enough for the four of them with Pency and Xargo flying at the sides, but the damn thing seemed to creak uncomfortably beneath all their weight. "For now, just take us to, um, my dorm?"

Though he wasn't sure that was the best idea either. He didn't know where else to go. After that confrontation in the office, all he wanted was to lie down and sleep for a long, long time. To hell with consequences, he'd deal with them later.

"Wait." All the color drained from Vada's face. He stiffened, then stood up, even though that made the carriage sway dangerously.

"Hey, watch it," Hal began, but that was when he saw what Vada had already noticed.

A medusid was descending toward them, moving rapidly. A two-seater, and the passengers inside wore black robes and silver masks.

_Sublime Vocalists._

"Shit." Rodmont grabbed their medusid's control tentacles. "Should I make this thing go or what?"

Vada shook his head. "There's no point." His voice was dull, resigned.

Without thinking, Hal reached out and took his hand and squeezed it, tight. Pency flew closer to him, puffing herself out, even though she couldn't do anything against the Sublime Vocalists. Then again, neither could Hal.

Not when Sublime Vocalists relayed the very Will of the Angel Theirself.

The Sublime Vocalists stopped their medusid less than three yards from Hal's. Then they stood as one. In their masks and hidden beneath the robes, Hal couldn't tell if the Vocalists were male or female. They were as androgynous as the Angel for whom they spoke.

Vada was trembling, his hand spasming in Hal's grip. His other hand was tight around the hilt of Dark Star, but his face was completely bloodless. The dark circles beneath his eyes were sickeningly prominent. Hal's heart beat faster.

"Speak," Vada said, still in that horrid resigned tone.

"Saint Vada Imilai," said the first Sublime Vocalist, their voice as perfectly androgynous as their appearance. "Do you intend to leave the Centarium?"

"Yes," Vada said, his hand gripping Hal's tighter. "Will you stop me?"

"We do not have the power to. We only wish to relay the Angel's final message to you."

"Which would be?"

Hal glared at the Sublime Vocalists. It didn't matter what they said. If they said the Angel would not allow this, then fine. Hal would gladly fight the Angel if it meant protecting Vada.

If the Sublime Vocalists noticed Hal at all, they gave no indication. Instead, they said as one, "The Angel regrets your foolish actions, Saint Vada Imilai, but will not stop you."

"Why?" Hal burst out.

"Because the Angel knows that you will regret your decision in due time. You will leave us and become lost in the wilderness for many years, but eventually you will see the error of your ways. You will return to your proper position and follow your proper destiny. It is common for Chosen Ones to reject their role. Even Nassat was allowed to return to his home for three years before he finally took up his sword for the Angel's sake."

Vada lifted his chin. Gone was the hunched-over, resigned figure from earlier; instead, he radiated the same cold fury that had animated him back when he'd passed his judgment upon the Lord Superior Hierophant.

"With all due respect, Sublime Vocalists, you are wrong. I will never return to this place."

"So you say," said the Sublime Vocalists, and the soft amusement in their voices made Hal want to punch them. And judging by the way Vada's hand shook, Hal wasn't the only one.

"Not unless you completely change your tune," Hal said, fury blazing in his every word. "Because I don't see any reason for Vada to fight for people who hate and mistreat him."

The Sublime Vocalists sighed. "You are naive children. But you are still young. The Angel understands. Go."

"What's going to happen to the Lord Superior Hierophant?" squeaked out Cinda.

"He will be removed. This is also the Angel's Will," said the Sublime Vocalists quite calmly. "You are far more important to the Angel's plans than he. You will return, Saint Vada Imilai. Now go."

"I..." Vada gulped, his throat visibly convulsing. Then he drew in a deep breath and said, "Before I leave, may I settle some personal business first?"

 _Personal business?_ Well, Hal supposed Vada needed to empty out his rooms and whatnot. But surely he didn't need to say goodbye to anybody, not after they'd done nothing except for treat him like crap.

"Oh, yeah," Rodmont piped up, waving his arm like he was trying to get the teacher's attention during class, "what about us? Are we in trouble?"

"Rod _mont!"_ Cinda squeaked, and Hal knew exactly what she was thinking; if they hadn't drawn attention to themselves, they might have been allowed to skate by without the Sublime Vocalists' notice.

Yet the Sublime Vocalists did not seem to care, though it was a bit hard to read their reactions beneath the masks. "Go on ahead," they said, addressing this to Vada. "We will give you the rest of the day. But if you wish to leave, you must be gone before sunset."

"That's fine," Vada said. "That's enough time."

"What about - " But Rodmont didn't get to finish before Cinda mashed her hands over his mouth. He writhed, but couldn't get out anything past her, thank everything.

The Sublime Vocalists said, "May the Angel's light watch over and guide you for the remainder of your journey, Chosen One."

"I don't need it," Vada said, squeezing Hal's hand. Hal smiled and squeezed back.

The Sublme Vocalists nodded as one, then tugged on the control tentacles and the medusid began to rise. Hal collapsed against his seat, heaving an enormous sigh. He really felt like he'd just barely escaped a battlefield alive.

"Shit," Rodmont said as soon as Cinda removed her hands from his mouth. "Wow. I guess we're not in trouble after all?"

"I'm sorry," Vada said. "This is all my fault."

"What is? I mean, we got to go on an adventure and we're not even in trouble for it! This is amazing!"

"Rodmont," Hal groaned, but he was already struggling hard to avoid laughing. He really did have the best friends in the world. "Come here, both of you."

And before Cinda and Rodmont could protest, Hal pulled them both into a hug. At least until the medusid started listing alarmingly to the side. Vada grabbed Hal and pulled him away from Cinda and Rodmont, righting the medusid just in time, before tugging on its tentacles. It began to rise, and the carriage swayed even more.

Hal gave in. He leaned over the side of the carriage and threw up.


	29. Chapter 29

As soon as they were back on Ryger Platform, Vada took Hal to his room. Hal shook Rodmont, Cinda, and Pency by telling them to go his dorm and help him pack. He felt a little bad for heaping more burdens on his friends, but they didn't seem to mind.

Truly, they were the best friends in the world. His heart throbbed at the thought of having to leave them soon, but he'd already made his choice. The Centarium had nothing left for him anymore.

As they entered Vada's quarters, Xargo slinked off on his own and disappeared somewhere, leaving Hal and Vada alone. Vada looked around, his expression distant.

"Vada?" Hal said cautiously. "Are you okay?"

"I am...I was just...I was just thinking that soon, I'll never see this place again. It's a bit - I mean, nine years. It was a long time..."

"I know," Hal said, taking Vada's arm. "I know. It's not easy."

Vada gave a slight shake of his head before letting go of Hal and marching on ahead. He still wore his full armor, probably because he had nothing on underneath it. As he walked, though, Hal noticed that his skin seemed oddly flushed, and his breath was coming in soft rasps.

Quite familiar. Hal had seen him like this before, long ago during that first time in the Armor Vault.

"Vada," Hal said, "is something wrong?"

"Hal." Vada stopped mid-step, then drew in a shuddering breath. "Will you - I mean, will you, um - right now, sleep with me?"

"Huh?" Alarm shot through Hal. "Hey, don't tell me this is a 'reward' or whatever for - "

"It's not, you fool! It's - " To Hal's alarm, Vada sank to his knees. "I've been holding it in quite well but now I - I can't take it anymore. It's still in me, that drug - "

 _Oh._ Instantly Hal ran to Vada's side. "Shit, are you okay?"

"I will be," Vada snapped, shooting Hal a baleful glare, "if you help."

"Then take off your armor."

Vada laughed, shaking his head. "This is rather like that first time, isn't it?"

"But it's different," Hal said firmly. "Come on, take it off."

Vada rolled his eyes. "Eager, aren't you, virgin." But then he murmured, "Dark Star, even the longest night must end," and Hal watched as the spiked plates glowed blue and began to retreat, disappearing until only the pauldrons and gauntlets remained. These Vada took off, and he knelt before Hal, completely naked.

Hal's heart thumped. Heat twinged through his cock, especially when he saw how hard Vada had become. Markings were already twining across his skin, steadily darkening.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Vada said, lifting his head and smiling at Hal through half-closed eyes. "I mean, you did throw up on the medusid."

Hal groaned. "That's because I got motion sick. But now - now - come here, let me - "

"Wait." Vada held up a finger, then swallowed, looking a little nervous. Which, Hal had to admit, was a rather adorable sight. "I want to - this time - try something different."

"Something different?" Hal's cock twitched in anticipation. After all, Hal was far less experienced than Vada; who knew what Vada had in mind? Whatever it was, he was sure it would be amazing.

"C-could you..." Vada coughed a bit, then blushing, lowered his head. "Could you tie me up?"

"Huh?" _That_ Hal hadn't expected to hear. "Are you, are you sure? Isn't that what those old perverts did to you?"

"I was...thinking about it." Vada swallowed. Sweat was slicking his skin, making it almost appear to glow. "I did...my body did like it..."

"That doesn't mean your mind does, I keep telling you - "

"Maybe, if it was you doing it," Vada said quietly, "I would enjoy it."

Hal's stomach twisted into knots, and damn him, the heat inside him only grew. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, please. Just give it a try."

"All right," Hal said, his heart thumping. And not just from nerves. He had to admit the image of Vada tied up and naked was doing funny things to him, as his arousal attested. "But listen, at any point if you think it's too much, just tell me and I'll stop."

"I know." A smile flitted across Vada's face, gone as soon as it appeared. "That's why I think it will be okay."

Hal's heart soared. To know that Vada trusted him so much - it was an intoxicating feeling. Just like the way he'd once trusted Rayton, except even then he hadn't been able to trust Rayton enough to tell him what he really felt.

It would be different with Vada, Hal swore.

"Come here." Vada gestured, and Hal followed him, trying not to stare too hard at his swaying hips, his well-sculpted ass. Which was not an easy task at all. Hal grew harder and harder, his nerves thrumming and exquisitely awake.

But a start ran through Hal's body when they entered Vada's bedroom.

"Hey, are you sure - "

"Quit asking that. Do you think I'm not in a sound mind to make my own decisions?" Vada snapped.

"Of course not." Hal shook his head. "You just told Ghestruel to shove it. I'd follow you to the ends of the earth."

Vada's mouth twitched. He climbed onto the bed and got on his knees and extended his hands toward the bedpost. Hal got on after him, his heart slamming. "Um, what, do you want me to use - "

"Your belt will work."

With trembling fingers, Hal undid his belt, then took the opportunity to unzip his pants and draw out his hard, throbbing cock. Vada watched him through half-closed eyes, and a smirk lifted his lips when he saw Hal's erection.

"You really are a pervert of a virgin."

"I can't help it," Hal huffed. "You're so beautiful."

Vada's eyes widened a bit. Like this, with his hair falling in his eyes, he looked so charmingly disarmed, lovely and vulnerable. But he was beautiful no matter what, Hal thought, even clad in his full armor, even as the stoic Mr. Perfect.

_That's what it means to love someone. To want to see every side of that person._

"Hurry," Vada moaned, lifting his hips. "I, I can't, not for much longer."

"Okay, love." Hal swung himself off the bed and moved over beside Vada, then took the belt and began wrapping it around Vada's arms, binding them to the post. He tried to tie a secure knot, but not too tight to be uncomfortable. Vada watched him the entire way, his golden eyes pinning Hal in place. By now, even the whisper of the cool air against Hal's hard cock was becoming unbearable.

Hal finished pulling the knot in place. "How's that?"

Vada licked his lips. "You're surprisingly good at this."

"I used to wrangle horses," Hal said, shrugging. "I know all kinds of knots."

"Hmm, that's exciting." Vada's breathless whisper tugged at Hal's gut, stirring his pleasure even further. "I can't wait for you to share your knowledge in the future..."

In the future. Hal had a whole future before him with Vada by his side. The joy that swept over him left him lightheaded. Overcome, he bent down and captured Vada's lips in a kiss.

Vada pushed back at him, his tongue flicking between Hal's lips, but Hal pulled away before the kiss could get deeper. Vada let out a faint whine of frustration, making Hal smile. He stroked Vada's hair, then traced the elegant curve of his cheekbone.

"Ah." A soft gasp fell from Vada's lips, now flushed a lovely pink. He began to tremble, his entire body. "Hal, I - um, one more thing, c-could you blindfold me?"

"Uh." Hal tensed. "Are you sure?"

"For fuck's sake, how many times are you going to ask that? I said I wanted to, so do it!"

"So demanding," Hal said with a grin, caressing Vada's cheek. "But okay."

Figuring that Vada wouldn't need it anymore anyway, Hal felt no compunctions about ripping a strip from the blanket. He bound it with quick, expert movements around Vada's eyes, then tugged the knot tight, making Vada gasp.

"You okay?"

Vada nodded mutely. Hal kissed his cheek, then climbed up onto the bed and swung himself behind Vada. Shaking with eagerness, he reached out and took Vada's hips in his hands. Vada gasped a little. Hal used his hands to lift Vada's hips and Vada responded by spreading his thighs, revealing his wet, dripping hole.

"Wish you could have this view too." Hal leaned forward, breathed against Vada's quivering skin. "It's lovely."

"Mm, hmm, n-no more, no more teasing." Vada moaned and writhed, wriggling his hips in a most enticing manner. Hal's cock leaped and twitched. The heat was becoming unbearable. Yeah, Vada totally had a point.

Even so, Hal couldn't resist leaning forward and flicking his tongue over the hole, tasting the sweet fluids, and something strong and musky - the drug, it must be. A shiver coursed through Vada's entire body, stiffening his spine; Hal could see his back muscles knotting up.

"H-Hal, Hal," Vada moaned, twisting in his restraints. "In me, in me, please fuck me. Want your cock."

It was similar to what he'd said to the Lord Superior Hierophant earlier, begging under the influence of the drug, but it sparked a deep, mind-numbing heat inside Hal to hear those words directed at him. Hal couldn't take it anymore. He tightened his grip on Vada's hips - Vada gasped - and thrust forward, pushing his cock easily into the slick, tight hole.

Vada let out a long, low moan, the sound dragging through Hal's entire body. His cock grew harder, even encased inside Vada's heaving insides. They squeezed him so tight, like trying to draw all the blood out of his cock. Hal groaned, fingers digging into Vada's pale, sweat-slick skin. This feeling - he didn't ever want it to end.

"More, more, please move, move, love you, Hal, feels so good," Vada babbled, writhing beneath Hal. He thrust his hips back, swallowing even more of Hal's cock, making Hal cry out from pleasure. " _Move,_ damn it - "

Hal didn't need any more encouragement. He leaned down over Vada, pressing a kiss between his shoulder blades. The position drove his cock even deeper inside Vada, until he was pressing right against his prostate, which felt softer and more tender than Hal had ever felt it before. Vada cried out, a long, high strangled sound. Truly, Hal had no idea his voice could go that high. He wanted to drive more of that music out of Vada.

So he began to thrust, setting a fierce, quick rhythm that Vada matched perfectly with expert jerks of his hips. His hands slid upward, closing around Vada's waist. Then he danced one hand up Vada's abdomen and chest, feeling the muscles shift and tighten, and paused to pinch a nipple, hard. Vada cried out, his shoulders tightening.

"Mm, Hal, Hal! Hurry, gonna, I'll cum, I'll - "

"No," Hal breathed in Vada's ear, making sure to flick it with his tongue. "Not until I say so."

"Ah." Vada stiffened, his insides clamping down hard around Hal. For the first time a spark of fear displaced some of Hal's pleasure; had he gone too far? But then Vada began to grind down on him, fierce and insistent.

"Yes, yes, I understand, please, please," he gasped as he moved, his entire body heaving. "I'll d-do anything, please Hal, let me cum."

"Not yet," Hal said, emboldened. "Beg for it."

"Yes, sir," Vada moaned.

"Huh?" Alarm sparked through Hal's body, though he didn't stop thrusting, maintaining his punishing pace. "Hey, you don't have to call me - "

"S-sorry, it just came out." Vada bucked his hips, rubbing all of his insides around Hal's cock. "Wanna, wanna, cum, please let me cum, please, sir."

"I don't think you're begging enough," Hal said into Vada's skin, now rubbing circles around both of Vada's nipples. "A little harder, love."

"Please, I'll die, I'll die if I don't cum, please, sir, I'll do anything, I'm yours, anything you like, anything you want, all for you, just let me cum, just let me." With each desperate word, pleasure spiked higher inside Hal, displacing all of his earlier nervousness. He rubbed harder, massaging the tender buds with his fingertips, then he moved one hand to Vada's face, slipping his finger into Vada's mouth. Moaning, Vada flicked his tongue out and licked his finger, then began to suck on it in earnest. The feeling of his expert tongue caressing every inch of his finger made Hal's cock throb.

"Do you want to cum, Vada?" Hal whispered in Vada's ear, thrusting even harder. He pushed the head of his cock insistently against Vada's prostate, feeling Vada's insides clamp down hard around him. Vada nodded vigorously, unable to speak since he was sucking on Hal's fingers.

Hal wanted to hear him beg some more, so he slipped his fingers out, pausing only to brush them along Vada's thoroughly wet lower lip, then trailed them down Vada's throat, his collarbone, his chest. Vada shivered and panted. Hal thrust, rolling his hips, making Vada's entire body tremble.

"I c-can't take it anymore, please, sir, _please,"_ he wailed, thrusting his hips back against Hal's, swallowing even more of his cock. "Mm, your cock, nothing, nothing feels this good, want it, want it, _want it - "_

"Darling," Hal breathed between Vada's shoulder blades, rubbing his saliva-slickened fingers against Vada's left nipple, "go right ahead."

Vada jerked at his restraints. His hips rose, his insides squeezed Hal tighter than ever before, and he trembled as liquid gushed between his thighs. It just kept coming and coming, to Hal's amazement, splashing in a pearly white arc across the black sheets of the bed. The sight of his cock jumping and dancing madly made Hal even harder. He couldn't take it - deep inside Vada, so warm and wet, watching him cum - and with a strangled cry he pushed himself deeper, slamming Vada's prostate again, and his own orgasm descended upon him. It knocked all the breath from his body. He went taut as a bowstring and groaned as his cum flooded Vada's already maddeningly wet insides, so hot around his cock, and it only made him cum harder.

Finally, he could cum no more. He was completely spent. Groaning, he pulled out of Vada, cum still leaking from the tip of his flaccid cock. Cum spilled out of Vada's hole, streaking down his thighs, dripping onto the bed. Vada trembled, moaning.

Then he collapsed flat against the bed, his knees giving way. Only his arms were still raised, bound in place by the belt.

Hal smiled, feeling more sated than he had in ages, and mischievously rubbed two fingers inside Vada's hole, coating them with cum. Vada gasped, his hole twitching. An adorable sight. Grinning wider, Hal swung himself in front of Vada, then pressed his fingertips to Vada's lips. Instantly Vada's tongue shot out and he licked the cum from Hal's fingers, eagerly swallowing it.

"Delicious," Vada sighed.

"Really? I think cum tastes pretty nasty, myself."

"That's because you're a virgin."

"What does _that_ have to do with it?" Hal huffed, mock-indignant. Then he ran a hand through Vada's hair, gently carding through the sweat-drenched black locks, then lower, caressing Vada's face. He slipped a finger beneath the blindfold and pulled it down, noticing that it was damp with tears.

Vada blinked up at Hal, his golden eyes bleary and shining with tears. "Shit," Hal said. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

"It - it felt so good, that's why," Vada murmured. "Thank you."

"No, thank you," Hal said, then leaned down to kiss Vada's forehead. "That was amazing. And I don't think it was all the drug."

"Then you'll tie me up again in the future?"

"Uh." Hal started, then blushed. "I guess?"

"Don't sound so hesitant, _virgin."_ Vada smirked. "By the way, my arms are falling asleep."

"Oh!" Quickly, guiltily, Hal untied the belt from around Vada's wrists. As Vada's arms fell back down to the bed, Hal saw the livid red marks upon his pale skin, and his guilt grew.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to - "

"Hmm?" Vada rubbed his wrists, then smiled. "It's all right. It's nice to have some physical proof."

He sat upright, heedless of the cum still dripping from his hole, and Hal sat beside him. He leaned against Vada, but didn't touch him in any other way, sensing Vada didn't want it right now.

"Are you...are you sure you're okay with this?"

Vada swallowed. "I, I am. I think? It felt good, it really did. Am I...am I really a slut? For thinking that way..."

"If you think it's good, then it's good for you," Hal said. "You like what you like. It doesn't make you a slut."

"I just - I mean, it's the same thing that they always did to me," Vada said, his voice barely above a mumble. "And I even, I called you sir. And I liked it."

"Vada." Not sure what else to say or do, Hal wrapped an arm around Vada's waist, pulled him closer. Sighing, Vada leaned against Hal's shoulder.

"The sir thing was pretty weird," Hal admitted after a while, "but it was kind of hot too."

Vada laughed, a high, bright sound. "You really are a pervert."

"I guess I am," Hal said, grinning. "Hope you don't mind."

"Of course I don't. Thank you, Hal. I love you."

Hal's heart leaped. It was the first time he was hearing those words from Vada - okay, maybe not the first, but the first time hearing them with such confidence, such surety.

He didn't have to think. He leaned forward, took Vada's shoulders, and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss.

For the rest of their lives, they'd have this. To stay together, to explore their bodies, to figure out what they liked and wanted and just what their limits were.

Hal couldn't wait.

* * *

The sun was setting as Hal and Vada met Cinda and Rodmont at the medusid platform, bathing the white buildings of Ryger in soft shades of orange and gold. A beautiful sight, one that had greeted Hal every evening in all the years he had spent at the Centarium. Something stirred in his chest, an echo of pain.

He told himself he had no regrets about leaving this place, but some part of him still felt like he was failing Rayton. And an even tinier part of him still hoped that he could be the Chosen One.

Except Vada was the Chosen One, and look at all the pain it had caused him. All Hal had to remember was the Lord Superior Hierophant raping Vada, the other Hierophants snickering and calling Vada a whore and slut and sex toy, and anger dispelled any last flickering bits of regret.

Rayton's dream would never come true, but if Rayton knew what the Centarium was really like, he wouldn't want it to come true.

At this hour very few students were coming and going from the platform; the four of them were alone, along with Pency and Xargo. Which suited Hal just fine. He didn't want to make a big production of this, and Vada emphasized that he had no wish to say goodbye to anybody. Let the fallout happen after they left and people realized that Mr. Perfect was no longer on campus.

"So, uh," Hal said, looking Cinda and Rodmont up and down. He'd known this moment was coming, but still wasn't sure what to do. It wasn't his style to bid a mushy, tearful farewell, but at the same time, he felt that he needed to mark this occasion somehow. After all, this would be the last time he'd see his two friends in two years. And they had done so much to help him, at considerable risk to themselves.

Before Hal could think on it further, Cinda rushed at him and squeezed him into a very tight, very painful hug.

"Oh, Hal, please keep in touch," she said into his shoulder. "After we graduate, Roddy and I are going to find you, no matter where you are."

Awkwardly, Hal lifted his arms and patted Cinda's back. "I know," he said. "I know."

Cinda squeezed him some more, driving all the air out of his body, then finally let go of him. Then Rodmont stepped forward and Hal tensed, hoping that Rodmont wasn't going to want a hug too, but instead Rodmont only stuck out his hand.

"Good luck, man," Rodmont said after they shook. "Uh, Imilai, make sure Hal doesn't get into too much trouble, okay?"

"What?" Hal sputtered, while Vada blinked, looking surprised that Rodmont had addressed him.

Then he smiled and dipped his head. "Of course. As for you two, thank you for everything."

"No sweat," Rodmont said, grinning as he linked arms with Cinda. "It was fun. And I - well, I wanted to say I'm sorry, Imilai. For...for...you know..."

"You know what?" Cinda's voice was low and dangerous.

Rodmont turned a delicate shade of green. Thankfully, Vada came to the rescue before the two of them could have a saccharine lovers' spat. "It's fine. That's in the past. You helped us, and that's what matters now."

As he spoke, he reached out and took Hal's hand, twining their fingers together. Hal's heart slammed. He squeezed Vada's hand back, certain he was blushing as red as a tomato. Cinda and Rodmont were wearing identical mischievous grins, which made Hal kind of want to hit them.

Which was a much more familiar feeling than the weird brew of emotions in him now, and he welcomed it. Through all their friendship, these two had infuriated him to no end, but they'd also supported him no matter what. Hal's throat tightened, and he fervently hoped that he wouldn't start crying.

Besides, Pency was crying enough for everybody here. She fluttered about Cinda and Rodmont, beating her wings frantically, sobbing big fat tears and that flew everywhere like a miniature rainstorm. Hal glanced around, hoping that her sobs didn't attract too much attention. He really would rather keep their departure hush.

"Pency, Pency, come on, we've got to go," Hal said after deciding that Pency had cried her fill. She was still crying, but flew back to his shoulder, sniffling in a valiant effort to control her tears. Smiling, Hal scratched her head.

He looked at Cinda and Rodmont one last time, and at the grand expanse of Ryger Platform behind them. Then at Vada, standing beside him, tall and proud and beautiful, his gaze distant. Hal had some shrewd idea what Vada was thinking, and gave him a moment.

Just a moment, though, because Vada soon turned toward Hal and said, brisk and business-like, "So let's get going, shall we?"

They climbed into the medusid carriage, Pency on Hal's shoulder and Xargo flying alongside. Both Hal and Vada had only brought one bag each, so they didn't have much luggage to carry. Vada, Hal noticed, had pointedly left behind all his trophies.

As the medusid descended, Hal craned his neck to look up at Cinda and Rodmont. Cinda was holding Rodmont's arm, leaning against him, and both of them were smiling. Hal waved and waved, his heart bursting, until he couldn't see them anymore, and they waved back.

Then he saw nothing except the vast metal expanse of Ghestruel's body. Pency sniffled and started to cry again, softer this time. Hal patted her head, feeling strangely empty yet free at the same time.

"Your friends." Vada's whisper made Hal start. "They really are...they're wonderful people."

"We'll go to the wedding, won't we?"

"Of course." Vada smiled, and like always it took Hal's breath away. "After we visit my mother. Sounds like a plan."

"There's two years between those two things, you know," Hal pointed out.

"We'll figure it out when it comes." Vada leaned close to Hal, resting his shoulder on Hal's, and his eyes drifted shut, lashes fluttering. "We have every day, now. Together."

It was probably the mushiest thing Hal had ever heard Vada say, and it made his heart want to burst. He leaned closer to Vada, breathing in Vada's scent, drawing comfort from it.

"Vada," he said, "what do you think we'll do?"

"I..." Vada tensed a bit, his shoulders drawing closer together. "I don't know...I really...all my life, I've only wanted to be one thing. I can't imagine myself doing anything else." He lifted his head, flashed Hal a brief, rueful smile. "Not like you. You can sing, you can cook, on top of being a Rusaida warrior."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short." Hal nudged Vada's shoulder. "It's not like you've got no skills yourself. Most people can't use miraculous energy. And you can always learn, and you'll be good at it, too. Because you always give your all to whatever you do."

"Hal." Vada blinked, his eyes widening. Hal couldn't resist leaning in for a brief kiss.

"You're free now, Vada," Hal said, squeezing Vada's hands. "Being free means being uncertain at times. But would you trade this for the certainty you used to have?"

"No," Vada said with no hesitation. "Absolutely not."

"You're free, and you're not alone," Hal said. "I'll help you."

"I know you will. I'll help you too, in whatever way I can." To Hal's surprise, Vada smirked. "You still have a lot to learn, _virgin."_

Hal grinned, a spark leaping in his stomach. Vada was _teasing_ him! Nothing in the world could be cuter. "Well, Mr. Perfect," he said, leaning closer to Vada and tracing his jawline. "Isn't it lucky I have such a great teacher."

The medusid descended further, carrying them away from the statue, and neither Hal nor Vada looked back.

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end. Thanks for reading and supporting me all this time, and I'm sorry I'm such a terrible flake. I do still have some affection for this story, so maybe some day I'll do the epilogue chapters. I do plan to keep writing and posting other things in the future, so keep an eye out for that.


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